Abbott initiates phase II of bioabsorbable DES trial

The second phase of Abbott's ABSORB clinical trial to evaluate the safety and performance of its fully bioabsorbable drug-eluting stent (DES) has commenced, with plans to enroll approximately 80 patients at 10 centers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and incorporate device enhancements.

The first patient was enrolled into the second stage of the ABSORB clinical trial at Onze Lieve Vrouw Ziekenhuis Hospital in Aalst, Belgium, by Bernard De Bruyne, MD, PhD.

"If the bioabsorbable stent continues to perform well in this trial and subsequent larger trials with more complex narrowings, bioabsorbable device technology may become the new standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease," said the ABSORB co-principal investigator John Ormiston, MD, medical director at Mercy Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Abbott Park, Ill.-based company said it currently has clinical data out to two years that evaluates the safety and performance of its bioabsorbable DES.

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