Boston Scientific has revealed today (3rd August) that it has started enrolling patients for the latest tests on its platinum-based coronary stent.

The company is carrying out an EVOLVE clinical trial to assess the safety and performance of its fourth-generation SYNERGY stent.

Using a bioabsorbable PLGA polymer and everolimus drug formulation, the technology is able to create a thin, uniform coating restricted to the outer surface of the stent.

After the drug has been given, the coating then reabsorbs into the body, with only a bare-metal stent left over as a result.

The SYNERGY offering features the same proprietary platinum chromium alloy and stent design used in the company's PROMUS Element stent.

EVOLVE will incorporate 291 patients at up to 35 locations across Europe, Australia and New Zealand and will compare SYNERGY to the earlier everolimus-eluting stent.

Professor Ian Meredith, Director of MonashHeart at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne Australia, is one of the principal investigators for the trial.

He revealed that if successful, the tests could reduce the possibility of patients suffering from events such as late stent thrombosis.

"We are pleased to enroll the first patient in the EVOLVE trial to evaluate this innovative new coronary stent technology," he said.

"I am enthusiastic about the possibility of having an everolimus stent that minimises the initial polymer coating, provides a bare luminal surface, and becomes a bare-metal stent after a few months once drug delivery is complete."

Boston Scientific's products are used in a wide range of interventional medical techniques, such as neuromodulation, electrophysiology, oncology and cardiac surgery.

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Boston Scientific Begins Clinical Trial Enrollment for New Coronary Stent with Bioabsorbable Polymer and Everolimus Drug Coating (03/08/10) 

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