Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Scaffolds for Coronary Artery Disease

N Engl J Med. 2015 Nov 12;373(20):1905-15. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1509038. Epub 2015 Oct 12.

Abstract

Background: In patients with coronary artery disease who receive metallic drug-eluting coronary stents, adverse events such as late target-lesion failure may be related in part to the persistent presence of the metallic stent frame in the coronary-vessel wall. Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds have been developed to attempt to improve long-term outcomes.

Methods: In this large, multicenter, randomized trial, 2008 patients with stable or unstable angina were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular (Absorb) scaffold (1322 patients) or an everolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium (Xience) stent (686 patients). The primary end point, which was tested for both noninferiority (margin, 4.5 percentage points for the risk difference) and superiority, was target-lesion failure (cardiac death, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target-lesion revascularization) at 1 year.

Results: Target-lesion failure at 1 year occurred in 7.8% of patients in the Absorb group and in 6.1% of patients in the Xience group (difference, 1.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -0.5 to 3.9; P=0.007 for noninferiority and P=0.16 for superiority). There was no significant difference between the Absorb group and the Xience group in rates of cardiac death (0.6% and 0.1%, respectively; P=0.29), target-vessel myocardial infarction (6.0% and 4.6%, respectively; P=0.18), or ischemia-driven target-lesion revascularization (3.0% and 2.5%, respectively; P=0.50). Device thrombosis within 1 year occurred in 1.5% of patients in the Absorb group and in 0.7% of patients in the Xience group (P=0.13).

Conclusions: In this large-scale, randomized trial, treatment of noncomplex obstructive coronary artery disease with an everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold, as compared with an everolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium stent, was within the prespecified margin for noninferiority with respect to target-lesion failure at 1 year. (Funded by Abbott Vascular; ABSORB III ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01751906.).

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Absorbable Implants*
  • Aged
  • Angina Pectoris / therapy
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Coronary Artery Disease / mortality
  • Coronary Artery Disease / therapy*
  • Coronary Restenosis
  • Drug-Eluting Stents* / adverse effects
  • Everolimus / administration & dosage*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Metals
  • Middle Aged
  • Prosthesis Design

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Metals
  • Everolimus

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01751906