Abstract
Budgetary Restraints Affect Growth of Drug Eluting Stents
Drug eluting stents (DES) represent one of the most exciting discoveries made
in the field of interventional cardiology. Unique design, pharmacological
agents and the drug delivery vehicle of these revolutionary medical devices
offer significant advantages over bare metal stents (BMS). However, with the
average prices of BMS ranging between $400-800, which is almost half that of
DES, these stents score over DES in terms of cost. This is a strong
influencing factor for governments to choose BMS over DES, despite the many
advantages of the latter. Faced with rising healthcare costs, governments are
compelled to curtail hospital budgets. Restricted purchasing power of
hospitals combined with a lack of reimbursements has limited the use of DES in
Europe, with more than 50 per cent of clinical procedures continuing to use
BMS. Increased uptake of DES calls for ongoing clinical trials to highlight
the benefits of these stents, especially for certain indications.
Manufacturers must also strive to reduce prices of DES; this could help drive
sales volumes and ensure repeat purchases.
This Frost & Sullivan research service provides an in-depth analysis of the
European coronary stents market, evaluating its business potential in seven
key regions of Europe. It discusses the major challenges, drivers and
restraints affecting the market and provides strategic recommendations to
overcome these challenges. The study includes a detailed assessment of the
existing competitive structure and the current market shares of key
participants.
Need to Produce Stents that Meet Safety Standards
The safety of the stents currently in the market is a key challenge facing
manufacturers. With healthcare providers under pressure to improve levels of
service and meet patients' demands, government officials have started imposing
strict safety standards for medical devices and periodical safety reviews by
governments have become the norm in the region.
Coronary stents are used in highly delicate cardiac procedures and therefore,
it is critical that they do not cause any additional complications to the
patient. However, the biocompatibility and deliverability of DES are crucial
in ensuring the efficacy of the procedure. "A major concern in this respect is
the thrombogenocity of these devices," remarks the analyst of this research
service. "Many believe that the polymeter in DES, which releases the drug over
time, plays a pivotal role in the appearance of late thrombosis; however, this
is an area which needs to be examined further."
Drug Therapy Provides Strong Competition to Coronary Stents
While coronary stents have successfully addressed complications such as
stenosis and occlusion, problems such as restenosis and thrombosis are sources
of much concern in the interventional cardiology industry. Stents
manufacturers face stiff competition from pharmaceutical companies that have
developed drugs, which are effectively addressing such problems.
"Pharmacological agents have the ability to reduce stenosis, prevent or
dissolve thrombi and dilate arteries at various developmental stages," notes
the analyst. "Drug treatments are significantly more cost-effective than
surgical procedures and therefore pose a strong challenge to the development
of the coronary stents market."
Drug companies also have well-developed distribution channels and have gained
the loyalty of clinicians. Manufacturers of medical devices must attempt to
change such loyalties by raising awareness of the advantages of minimally
invasive procedures compared to existing alternatives such as drug therapy.
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