The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abbott Laboratories' Xience Sierra, a version of the company's Xience everolimus-eluting coronary stent system.
The company said the new stents have a "thinner profile, increased flexibility, longer lengths, and small diameters," and are designed to treat complex blockages that now account for up to 70% of cases.
According to Abbott, more than 8 million people globally have received a Xience stent since its initial regulatory approvals in the EU in 2006 and in the U.S. in 2008. The company received regulatory approval for Xience Sierra in Japan in April 2018, and CE Mark in Europe in October 2017.
