Positive results from ABSORB II trial of Absorb Vascular Scaffold for Coronary Artery Disease- Abbott Vascular

Abbott announced positive one-year clinical results fro ABSORB II, the world's first prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of the dissolving Absorb heart device to Abbott's market-leading metallic Xience family of DES. The trial, conducted primarily in Europe ,included 501 people with coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of heart disease. The results were featured at a late-breaking session at the 26th Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation , in Washington D.C.

At one year, overall clinical outcomes for Absorb were comparable to Xience, and people treated with Absorb experienced a significantly lower rate of angina (chest pain), a novel finding given the impact of angina on people's quality of life and its cost burden on healthcare systems. Absorb is a first-of-its-kind device that functions like a metallic stent by opening a blocked artery in the heart and restoring blood flow. However, unlike a metallic stent, which cages the vessel, Absorb is more flexible and dissolves over time, leaving behind a treated vessel free of a permanent implant with the potential to flex, pulse and dilate in response to various demands on the heart, based on people's lifestyle and activities, such as exercise.