Dear Mr. Lempel:
In reply to your questions:
The Bard relationship has not fallen apart, far from it. We are continually discussing various product development schemes, including peripheral stents and grafts. Bard is just slow, but eventually do make up their minds. I would expect their minds are about made up to go ahead with the next level of development. This could lead into an R&D partnership, equity investment, or various other potential.
We recently announced that we have received a patent for a biodegradable stent. The degradable stent differs from the metal stents as it is resorbed by the body after placement. As it is being resorbed, it can release various medicinal agents to the vessel wall which can range from anti-restenotics to anti-caner agents. At this time, our main efforts have been to perfect the Liprostin(tm) medicinal coatings on metal stents of "others" (which elute therapeutic levels of prostaglandin e-1) to inhibit smooth muscle cell (SMC) encroachment into the stent lumen, and to antagonize various plasma elements from stent adherence, ie, platelets, fibrin and thrombin, etc., to the stent body.
But as you suggested, the biodegradable stent market is the next window of opportunity and holds enormous market potential. We feel we have a significant edge in this development with our patented "field of use" of PGE-1 (which by-the-way is probably the potent SMC antimitogenic available) which patents its use in the field of post-angioplasty dysfunctions. I expect to have the biodegradable stent in animals next year. In the meantime, watch the take-off of "coated" metal stents which are ready for animal trials.
Thanks for the questions.
David P. Summers |
