Platinum chromium stent system approved by FDA
Boston Scientific announced that its next-generation everolimus-eluting platinum chromium coronary stent system was approved for the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.
The PROMUS Element Plus Everolimus-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System (Boston Scientific) was designed specifically for coronary stenting. It utilizes a proprietary platinum chromium platform, enabling thinner struts and enhanced visibility and making the stent more comfortable with less recoil and higher radial strength, according to the company.
The FDA approval was based on the PLATINUM clinical program, which included five multicenter studies that comprised more than 1,800 patients worldwide. Clinical outcomes supported the safety and effectiveness of the PROMUS Element stent at 30 days and 9 months, with low rates of incomplete stent apposition and demonstration of acute procedural benefits. When compared with the PROMUS stent for the treatment of de novo coronary artery lesions, the PROMUS Element stent demonstrated clinical noninferiority and procedural benefits of reduced rates of geographic miss and unplanned stenting, according to previously released data
“The clinical results we observed with the PROMUS Element stent compared with the PROMUS stent in the large-scale PLATINUM Workhorse trial, including extremely low rates of stent thrombosis, demonstrate that excellent clinical outcomes are achieved with this novel coronary stent system,” Gregg W. Stone, MD, professor of medicine and director of research and education at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said in a Boston Scientific press release.
Currently, the PROMUS Element stent system is offered in a matrix of 74 sizes, ranging in diameter from 2.25 mm to 4 mm and lengths of 8 mm to 32 mm. Additional stent lengths of 32 mm and 38 mm are expected to be available in mid-2012.
Source: http://www.cardiologytoday.com/view.aspx?rid=89872
Tantalum Market Has Hard Time
LONDON, Aug 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The projected future for niobium producers looks quite positive while the tantalum market will probably experience hard time under conditions of major supply shortfalls. Associated geologically, tantalum and niobium have very different application areas that have impacted the development of both markets significantly during the crisis period.
The recent mine closures have cut global tantalum supply by around 40% and demand for the material is forecast to increase by only small index. However tantalum has valuable advantages over its competitive materials and is widely used in the manufacture of electronic capacitors.
For niobium the forecasts are that as end-users bring back their suspended capacity the demand will reach healthy growth rate. Although given the fact that the output of the material is enough to cover the projected consumption, there is little prospect of investing into the industry in future.
Detailed review and outlook on global, regional and country markets of tantalum and niobium can be found in the new market research report “Tantalum and Niobium (Columbium) Market Review” that presents in-depth discussion of the present market landscape, historical background and future forecasts for the markets and features topical data showing tantalum and niobium capacities, production, consumption, trade statistics, and recent prices (globally, regionally and by country).
Report Details:
Tantalum and Niobium (Columbium) Market Review Published: February, 2011 Pages: 63 http://mcgroup.co.uk/researches/tantalum-and-niobium-columbium
The research covers insightful information on tantalum and niobium major marketers - producers and suppliers, features data on tantalum and niobium production, consumption and trade in the reviewed countries, tantalum and niobium prices. Market outlooks through 2016, showing projected tantalum and niobium market volumes and prices, are also reviewed.
The report on tantalum and niobium has been worked out by Merchant Research & Consulting Ltd, an internationally recognized market research agency, specializing in chemical industry. “Tantalum and Niobium (Columbium) Market Review” is included into the catalogue “Metals”, which also incorporates studies on Aluminum, Antimony, Beryllium, Chromium, Copper, Iron and Steel, Lead, Magnesium, Mercury, Titanium markets.
SOURCE: Merchant Research & Consulting Ltd.
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