In early January, Medinol and Cordis announced that the EluNIR™ drug-eluting stent (DES) was used commercially for the first time in cases in the United States. The procedures using the EluNIR™ were performed at two prestigious hospitals, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and the Piedmont Heart Institute.
Medinol’s Executive Chairman, Harvey Berger, M.D., stated that the commercial launch of the EluNIR drug-eluting stent is a major step forward for Medinol and for patients with obstructive coronary artery disease. This new stent system has important advantages for interventional cardiologists who are always looking for better and more effective ways to safely open occluded or narrowed vessels. Harvey Berger, M.D. to work with Medinol’s core business of interventional cardiovascular devices, in addition to its businesses developing sub-millimeter implantable sensors, unique percutaneous aortic valves and other complementary products.
The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center’s Director for Interventional Vascular Therapy, Martin B. Leon, M.D., noted, “Our first patient cases with the EluNIR™ stent went perfectly and we are enthusiastic about the overall performance including the uniform vessel coverage and the delivery system with the metallic spring tip, which is unlike any other product in the market. I have been following Medinol for over 20 years and am excited to see yet another one of the company’s innovative products launch in the U.S. market.”
The EluNIR™ stent was approved for the treatment of patients with narrowing or blockages to their coronary arteries. It is currently being distributed to cath labs throughout the United States by Cordis. The stent system is designed to help clinicians easily deliver this new DES in highly complex anatomy and disease.
“The physicians and staff at Columbia and Piedmont have played pivotal roles in the evolution of the EluNIR™ stent,” said Dr. Yoram Richter, chief scientific officer at Medinol. “We are honored to have the first commercial cases with EluNIR™ performed at such notable institutions. This event marks another step in Medinol’s legacy, which has continued to stretch the limits of innovation, starting with our NIR stent in 1996.”
Under a long-term distribution agreement between Cardinal Health and Medinol, Cordis was given Cardinal Health’s interventional vascular business, which includes the rights to sell Medinol’s coronary stent portfolio. This portfolio now includes the EluNIR™.