This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11429759

A man from Leicester has become the first UK heart patient to have a new type of biodegradable stent to treat his condition.

About 85,000 people a year in Britain have a metal stent - a tubular scaffold - inserted in their diseased arteries.

These hold open the narrowed artery while releasing drugs to prevent clogging.

The new device does the same, but will eventually dissolve after about two years when the artery is repaired.

Metal stents, in comparison, typically remain in place unless removed surgically.

Stenting is now a far more common procedure for angina than bypass graft surgery.

Stents are inserted into the artery following balloon angioplasty.

Great news, LR! I know it'll be at least a few years until they're available, but I see this as a far better option for us than metal stents.

Exactly this was my idea for something between balloon and stent. I thought of something like dissolvable surgical threads. Something that sort of "trains" the vein to stay open over a period of time and removes itself afterwards.

Seems I have missed a sales opportunity

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"There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance." Socrates

It looks like these may be closer than you think...

http://medgadget.com/archives/2010/03/a ... rials.html

oh, and from the article, they just finished a 30-dayphase 2 study with success!



I found reports dating back to 2006...

A/C

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If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Al Einstein

Great link, AC! That's a particularly good selling point, for people getting stents in high-flex places like necks.

This is the start of Abbott Labs Phase II trials for this stent in Europe & points west (No trials/studies in USA or Canada)

Phase I had 30 patients and was two years long, all had very good results, they are recruiting 90 patients for this trial

After two years the stents basically break down to lactic acid and wash out of the body

These stents are only designed/approved for cartiac arteries
Abbott has not even looked at these for veins...

I had a long talk with an Abbott sales rep about this product and pointed out that the U.S. market for such a veinous stent could be 1.2 billion
(400000 pwMS x 2 stents each x 1500 per stent = $1.2 billion)
Not quite as valuable as MS drugs, but should be enough to make Abbott sit up and take notice........

Good info!

I see that Abbott is in your backyard!

(Stock Symbol is ABT $52.38 lol)

A/C

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If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Al Einstein

Bumping this up. Am I the only pwMS getting excited about a resorbable (spelling?) stent? Anyone know why the device isn't being tested in the US (or did I misunderstand)?

I really like the idea of a temporary stent:)

Patrice

Aren't the stents being used now all being used "off-label" anyways?

Just wondering...

A/C

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If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Al Einstein

I think the only big worry with veins is if a part of the stent when dissolving breaks away and manages to get to the lungs causing a P.E.
Arteries don't have that same risk.

Hopeful2

No you didn't misunderstand...no trials in USA or Canada
It was easier (and less expensive) for Abbott to get approval to start trials in Europe

Almost clever

As they are just starting Phase II trials in Europe, these stents aren't even available here to be used off label

LR1234

As I understand it, the cell walls actually absorb these stents, and desolve them, the end product is lactic acid a natural by- product that your body already makes (if you work out to hard and the next day your muscles are sore, it's because there is to much lactic acid in your system) ...there is nothing to "break off".....

No, they just take it to the brain and cause a stroke ...

Which is worse?

Also very cool is it being non-metallic, so the stented region would not be invisible to MR.

I can't stop thinking about the dissolvable stent that's being developed by Abbott. It's made of corn starch so it can't be very harmful. It made it thru Phase 1 trials so basic safety issues were addressed, right?

Three months ago I had balloon venoplasty of my left IJV and felt much better but improvements are slipping away. If I undergo a second procedure to reopen my jugular, and try to keep it open, I'd rather take a chance on a dissolvable stent than some of the other options I've read about.

Even having treatment with a big balloon on low pressure seems as much risk as a dissolvable stent (maybe more risk if I go on my gut reaction only). I realize there's some clinical data coming out about the efficacy of treatment with a big balloon but I'm hesitant to do something that overstretches my vein at this time.

Am I alone in thinking this way?

I am very hopeful for the dissolvable stents. But I want them fully tested first.