Abbott's Xience Prime DES Launched in International Markets

August 31, 2009—At the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Abbott Vascular (Santa Clara, CA) announced the international launch of its next-generation Xience Prime everolimus-eluting coronary stent system for the treatment of coronary artery disease. The Xience Prime, which received CE Mark approval in June, is now available in Europe and in select countries throughout Asia-Pacific and Latin America. In the United States, it is currently an investigational device and is not available for sale.

According to Abbott Vascular, the device offers a novel stent design and a delivery system designed for greater flexibility and enhanced deliverability. Xience Prime utilizes the same drug and biocompatible polymer as Abbott's Xience V everolimus-eluting coronary stent system. Its design is based on the company's Multi-Link Vision family of stents. Xience Prime incorporates cobalt-chromium technology for thin drug-eluting stent struts while maintaining strength to support the vessel and providing excellent visibility under x-ray during the stent implantation procedure. It is available in a broad size matrix, including Xience Prime SV for small vessels and Xience Prime LL for long lesions, the company stated.

"Xience Prime leverages the superior outcomes from the extensive body of clinical evidence from the SPIRIT family of clinical trials and offers design and delivery system properties that make it even easier for a physician to appropriately reach and treat a lesion," commented Professor Patrick Serruys, MD. "The stent is designed to improve stent deliverability, minimize vessel injury, and provide easy access to lesions in complex anatomy."