A study comparing drug-eluting stents made by Biotronik, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) found no statistically significant difference on target vessel failure or stent thrombosis after three years. The 3,514-patient Bio-Resort trial compared Biotronik’s Orsiro biodegradable sirolimus-eluting stent, Medtronic’s thin-strut zotarolimus-eluting Resolute Integrity stent and the Synergy biodegradable everolimus-eluting stent. Three-year results for some 3,393 […]
Boston Scientific
FDA panel wants more, better data on paclitaxel-eluting devices
An FDA advisory panel on paclitaxel-eluting devices for treating peripheral artery disease yesterday found that the mortality signal indicated by a meta-analysis last year exists but that further study is needed to determine whether it’s a class effect and to pin down the cause of death. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Assn. last December […]
FDA panel finds ‘smoking gun, but no bullet or dead bodies’ in paclitaxel devices
Members of an FDA advisory panel yesterday cited conflicting evidence from studies of paclitaxel-eluting devices in treating peripheral artery disease, with the panel’s chairman calling the data “a smoking gun, but no bullet or dead bodies at this particular point.” A meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Assn. last December suggested that PAD patients treated with paclitaxel-coated […]
FDA: More data needed on paclitaxel devices
More data is needed on devices that elute the drug paclitaxel to determine if they pose a higher mortality risk than non-eluting devices in treating peripheral artery disease, the FDA said ahead of an advisory panel meeting today. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Assn. last December suggested that PAD patients treated with paclitaxel-coated balloons […]
Late mortality rates ‘inadvertently reversed’ in 5-year study of paclitaxel-eluting stent
The journal Circulation said this week that the all-cause mortality rates in a study comparing a paclitaxel stent and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in people with peripheral artery disease were “inadvertently reversed” by the authors. In the first version of the paper, originally published in 2016, researchers reported that the 5-year all-cause mortality rate for people […]
Docs plan industry collab to study paclitaxel devices
Non-for-profit org Viva Physicians said yesterday that it will lead a pan-industry effort to study the use of paclitaxel-eluting devices for the treatment of peripheral artery disease in above-the-knee applications. The initiative comes on the heels of a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association this month showing a potential link between […]
LINC 2019: Medtronic, Boston Scientific back paclitaxel devices amid safety probe
Amid concerns about a potential link between paclitaxel devices and heightened long-term mortality rates, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and other device-makers doubled down on their products’ safety at this year’s Leipzig Interventional Course in Germany. Medtronic presented a patient-level survival analysis that included 1,837 patients enrolled in its In.Pact Admiral clinical program. The analysis assessed all-cause mortality across […]
FDA probes paclitaxel-eluting stents, balloons
The FDA wrote a letter to healthcare providers yesterday on the heels of a meta-analysis that suggested an increased mortality rate after two years in people with peripheral artery disease who were treated with paclitaxel-coated and paclitaxel-eluting devices compared to bare devices. The agency is “evaluating” the new information presented by the study and recommended […]
Report: Medtronic, Boston Scientific stand by paclitaxel-eluting devices despite JAHA study
Major medtech players Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) continue to support the use of their paclitaxel-eluting devices in the legs after a study released last month indicated a link between the devices and an increased mortality rate, according to a Star Tribune report. In the meta-analysis, researchers led by Dr. Konstantinos Katsanos analyzed data from 28 […]
Boston Scientific puts $4B on the table for BTG’s interventional portfolio
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) said today that it agreed to offer $4.24 billion to acquire British medical device maker BTG (LON:BTG) and its portfolio of interventional drug-device therapies. The Marlborough, Mass.-based company said that its acquisition of BTG will augment Boston Scientific’s capabilities in the treatment of cancer and pulmonary embolism. “We are confident that the addition of these therapies […]