Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents
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Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents
Drug-eluting coronary stents reduce restenosis and are becoming the industry standard of care. Such treatment comes in the form of the TAXUS® stent, which is manufactured and sold by our corporate partner, Boston Scientific Corporation.
Although bare metal stents are still used today, they often fail because small tears develop in the artery wall when the balloon catheter is inflated. These tears initiate natural healing responses. Cells from the wall of the artery migrate and divide, repairing the wound. If the scar grows too thick, the artery will be reblocked by the scar. The exaggerated regrowth of scar over a bare metal stent is known as in-stent restenosis.
It is in this capacity where Angiotech's technology has moved to the forefront of interventional cardiology. Angiotech developed the technology for eluting stents with the drug paclitaxel to reduce the rate of restenosis. Paclitaxel immobilizes the cell's skeleton, paralyzing cells so they are unable to migrate to the injured area and divide. Angiotech's technology is the competitive advantage behind TAXUS, a stent system that regulates scar growth over the stent and thus dramatically reducing reduces failure rates.
It is important to understand that complete suppression of scarring (neointimal growth) is not the optimal outcome since the stent is left bare or even sometimes loose in the artery. A bare stent can act as a magnet for clots, as learned from other industry trials.
Demonstrating efficacy, safety, and excellent deliverability and conformability, TAXUS is one of the most innovative products launched in interventional cardiology.