Abbott has received clearance from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for its Xience Xpedition Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, which could aid in the treatment of coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is considered to be the most common type of heart disease.
Xience Xpedition’s delivery system includes a 3.25 mm diameter matrix which would help doctors to address a wide range of cases with CAD.
Japan’s Saitama Sekishinkai Hospital cardiovascular division director Dr Masahisa Yamane said that the deliverability with Xience Xpedition is impressive, helping physicians navigate with ease through complex blockages inside the heart vessels.
"This approval offers physicians an important new treatment option to address a growing health concern in Japan; we look forward to the positive impact of this product in Japanese patients with coronary heart disease," Yamane added.
Supported by clinical evidence of the Xience family of drug eluting stents, Xience Xpedition features a new delivery system which is designed to navigate smoothly through clogged blood vessels in the heart during an angioplasty procedure and with complicated heart vessel anatomy.
Xience Xpedition is designed to treat blockages in heart vessels by employing a specialised balloon that helps in opening blockages and thereby ensuring that the stent fits securely against the walls of the blood vessel once implanted.
The company claimed that the stent design is based on its Multi-Link pattern which has a long heritage of stent design and has been proved to impart strength and stability to the stent.
Abbott vascular senior vice president Chuck Foltz said that the approval of Xience Xpedition in Japan is a significant milestone in the global expansion of Abbott’s leading next-generation drug eluting stent system.
"With the growing prevalence of heart disease in Japan, Abbott is pleased to offer physicians an additional treatment option that is backed by the strong clinical outcomes and unique design advantages of the market-leading XIENCE family of drug eluting stents," Foltz added.