Braun Commences BASKET BALL Trial of a DCB-Only Strategy in Complex CAD

July 28, 2026—B. Braun announced the first patient enrollment in the BASKET BALL trial, which is designed to create clinical evidence for the company’s SeQuent sirolimus drug-coated balloon (DCB) in complex coronary artery disease (CAD).

According to the company, BASKET BALL is an international, randomized, multicenter, open-label trial that will include patients with CAD and increased clinical or anatomic risk. The trial will enroll a total of 2,184 patients at up to 60 clinical sites across up to 15 countries.

The hypothesis of BASKET BALL is that a sirolimus DCB-only–based approach is noninferior to a primary drug-eluting stent strategy with respect to the composite endpoint of target vessel failure and major bleeding (BARC types 3–5) at 12 and 36 months, stated B. Braun.

The study is led by Professors Raban Jeger, MD, of Zurich, Switzerland, and Bruno Scheller, MD, of Homburg/Saar, Germany.

“BASKET BALL addresses an important clinical question in patients with complex CAD,” comment Prof. Jeger in the company’s press release. “The trial will provide valuable evidence on the role of a sirolimus-coated balloon–based treatment strategy in this high-risk population.”

Prof. Scheller added, “This landmark trial is designed to generate robust evidence on the use of DCBs in complex coronary interventions. BASKET BALL is a strategy trial comparing a DCB-only approach including crossover to stenting in case of unsuccessful lesion preparation compared to a 100% full-metal jacket DES strategy. Its findings may help shape the future of interventional cardiology.”