FDA Grants Abbott, Boston Scientific Approval for Narrow Stent

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific Corp. for narrow heart stents to help patients with narrow blood vessels. The companies are the leading sellers of drug-coated stents.

The stents are approved for use in vessels as small as 2.25 millimeters in diameter.

Both companies claim that approximately 10 percent of patients who need artery-clearing angioplasty have vessels smaller than 2.5 millimeters.
Abbott will manufacture the stent, which they will market as Xience Nano and Boston Scientific will market as Promus. An agreement that runs through June 2012 guarantees Abbott 40 percent of Boston Scientific’s profits.

Last year, Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories generated $1.34 billion in revenue from drug-coated stents. They were bested only by Natick, Mass.-based Boston Scientific’s $1.54 billion.