Healthcare firm Abbott has obtained CE mark approval for its Absorb stent system, Absorb GT1, to treat patients with heart disease.
Absorb is a first-of-its-kind device, which functions like a metallic stent by opening a blocked artery in the heart and restoring blood flow.
Absorb GT1 is similar to the GlideTrack catheter, the firm’s advanced stent delivery system that allows doctors to access and treat diseased vessels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
Abbot vascular medical affairs divisional vice-president and chief medical officer Dr Charles Simonton said: "Coronary artery disease is the most common disease in developed countries, and the new Absorb GT1 catheter delivery system may improve the ability of doctors to treat more people with CAD by opening up coronary blockages in hard-to-reach areas with this novel, fully dissolving stent."
In 2014, Abbott presented positive one-year clinical results from Absorb II, the prospective, randomized and controlled trial that compared the safety and effectiveness of the fully dissolving Absorb heart device with the firm’s metallic Xience family of drug eluting stents.
Conducted in Europe, the study included 501 people with CAD. Absorb data will also be presented at the EuroPCR in Paris of France, which is being held from 19 to 21 May.
Currently, Absorb is commercially available in around 70 countries across the globe. The firm also submitted application for regulatory approval of Absorb in Japan and plans to submit reports for regulatory approvals in the US and China.
Image: Absorb functions like a metallic stent by opening a blocked artery in the heart and restoring blood flow. Photo: courtesy of PR Newswire/ Abbott.