Abbott to discontinue sales of fully biodegradable stent

Abbott has been trying to withdraw its stent from India since the NPPA capped coronary stent prices

Medical device maker Abbott has decided to discontinue sales of its most premium stent Absorb. On Friday, it applied to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) for withdrawal of this stent.

“Due to low commercial uptake, Abbott will stop selling the first-generation bioresorbable Absorb coronary stent. The sales volume for Absorb was low and it cost more to make Absorb than what we could sell it for, making it unsustainable and therefore had to be discontinued,” the company said.

Abbott told Business Standard that the withdrawal was due to commercial constraints. Absorb sales accounted for only about 1 per cent of global