European Coronary Stent Market to Decline to $490 Million by 2016, Despite Growth in Number of Procedures

TORONTO–(BUSINESS
WIRE)–According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority
on medical technology market intelligence, while the number of coronary
stenting procedures performed will show steady growth, stent selling prices
will decline significantly, resulting in a decline in overall market value that
will average 3.5 percent per year through 2016. One exception to the overall
market decline will be drug-eluting bioresorbable scaffolds and biodegradable
polymer drug eluting stents (DES), which are expected to be adopted over this
period and limit the slide in market value.

Recent innovations in DES stents show promise. Biodegradable
polymer drug-eluting stents, for example, offer a better safety profile than
durable-polymer drug-eluting stents, as late-stent thrombosis is largely
attributed to the polymer that binds the drug to the stent. In biodegradable
polymer stents, a polymer controls drug release but then disappears, leaving a
bare metal stent. Examples of stents with biodegradable polymers are Biosensors
Internationals BioMatrix, Terumo Medicals Nobori, Sahajanand Medical
Technologies Supralimus and Boston Scientifics fourth generation Synergy
stent, which is still in development.

In contrast to bioabsorbable polymer stents, which still
leave behind a bare metal stent, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds disappear
completely, with the promise of vessel wall regrowth. A number of companies are
working on scaffold products, including Abbott Vascular with ABSORB, REVA
Medical with ReZolve, OrbusNeich and BIOTRONIK. Bioresorbable scaffolds were
soft launched in 2011, and a full launch is expected across Europe
by the end of 2012.

“These bioresorbable devices have the potential to
revolutionize the market,” said MRG Principal Analyst Karene Dumoulin. “They do
need to demonstrate that they yield a decrease in the occurrence of late stent
thrombosis or provide other advantages not available with current DES on the
market, such as complete vascular restoration and motion, which is promised by Abbott
Vasculars ABSORB device.”

Millennium Research Groups European Markets for
Interventional Cardiology Devices 2012 report includes procedure, unit, average
selling price and revenue information, along with market drivers and limiters
and competitive landscape for coronary stents, percutaneous transluminal
coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheters, accessory devices, and
intravascular imaging catheters and pressure guidewires sold in France,
Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

About Millennium Research Group

Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources Group company (www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com), is the global authority on
medical technology market intelligence and the leading provider of strategic
information to the healthcare sector. The company provides specialized industry
expertise through multiclient market research, ongoing Marketrack™ projects,
customer loyalty tracking, facility-level procedure forecasting, and customized
solutions.

About Decision Resources Group

Decision Resources Group is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers
best-in-class, high-value information, and insights on important sectors of the
healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed
decisions. Please visit Decision Resources Group at www.DecisionResourcesGroup.com.

Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT