Drug-Coated Stents Inhibit Restenosis in Pigs

A study has shown that coronary stents coated with a proprietary new drug versus stents without a drug led to a 43% reduction of new tissue growth in pigs, with no significant injury or inflammation within the treated artery.

Each pig had one drug-coated stent and one normal stent placed in two separate vessels. After 28 days, the drug-coated stents showed a dramatic improvement in reduction in neointima as well as improvement in artery size, compared to the uncoated stents. The proprietary drug used in the study was developed by Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Il, USA). The company is now conducting more studies, preparatory to moving into human clinical trials.

"Vascular medicine still has unmet needs as in indicated by the rate of restenosis in many coronary artery disease patients,” said Patrick J. Balthrop, vice president, vascular devices, Abbott Laboratories. "Emerging technologies, like drug-coated stents, may help patients avoid additional angioplasty or bypass surgery.”



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