Alvimedica produced Coracto™, world’s best drug- eluting stent and received CE certificate

Coracto™ Rapamycin-Eluting Coronary Stent, is made of stainless steel covered with a very thin, flexible and biodegradable coating containing Rapamycin. Thinness of the polymer coating enables 100% elution of Rapamycin within 10-12 weeks.

As a drug-eluting stent, Coracto™ provides homogenous drug release through the rapamycin containing biodegradable coating that does not form a crack even at high rates of expansion. The polymer degrades to lactic acid and glycolytic acid which are easily metabolised to carbondioxide and water. Threfore, it does not give rise to inflammation in the body. Another important advantage of Coracto™ Rapamycin-Eluting Coronary Stent is being a suitable choice for bifurcation cases due to its open cell design.

Excellent therapeutic results were achieved in the trials with drug-eluting stents produced by Alvimedica, Turkey’s first and only manufacturer of stent and catheters. Coracto™, which has received the CE certificate and is due to be marketed round the world, has been identified as the most successful drug-eluting stent by two globally recognised key opinion leaders.

The Coracto™ trial is the only published study in which only 100% chronic total occlusion (CTO) patients enrolled. Use of Coracto™ and bare metal stents have been compared by Prof. Nicolaus Reifart, chairperson of the 2010 EuroCTO Club, in a clinical study on CTO patients. Despite the discontinuation of dual antiplatelet therapy after 6 months, 0% late stent thrombosis was observed at the 24-month follow up, on account of the solubility of the polymer and its biocompatibility. The results of this clinical trial have proven the effectiveness of Coracto™ Rapamycin-Eluting Coronary Stent in the treatment of CTO cases rated as the most difficult types of lesions.

Also, it has been clinically verified that Coracto™ effectively prevents thrombosis due to the completed re-endothelialization, This clinical trial carried out by Prof. Nicolaus Reifart has been published in the June 2010 edition of EuroIntervention, the Official Journal of EuroPCR and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI).

The preclinical trial has been carried out with the world-famous Prof Renu Virmani and her team. Comparison with drug-eluting stents that have been used as the established world market leaders in millions of cases, Coracto™ Rapamycin-Eluting Stent has been shown to be more effective in re-endothelialization.

Prof. Renu Virmani and her team have compared re-endothelialization periods of the first generation sirolimus eluting stents and the second generation everolimus- eluting stents in rabbit iliac arteries. By means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Coracto™ was shown to ensure more rapid endothelial coverage than both the sirolimus- and the everolimus-eluting stents. Results of the clinical trial are shown in Figure 1.

*BMS : Bare Metal Stent **EES: Everolimus eluting stent ***SES: Sirolimus eluting stent

Alvimedica is enjoying the honour and the excitement of entering the market to offer the CE-certified CORACTO™ stent to the service of medicine. Alvimedica will continue innovative ventures for new products through research work in its technology and production plants.