The stent is currently used in 60 hospitals pan India
Shanghai-based MicroPort Scientific Corporation’s most advanced Firehawk Rapamycin target eluting stent, which was recently launched in the Indian market, is currently being used in 60 hospitals pan India.
Updating about the success of MicroPort stents in India, Riyaz Desai, MD-India, MicroPort said, “Globally, MicroPort sells two million stents every year. In India, we are trying to capture at least 15 per cent of the stent market in the next couple of years.”
Highlighting the features of Firehawk Rapamycin target eluting stent, renowned cardiologist, Dr Purushottam Lal, Chairman, Metro Hospital, Noida, said, “MicroPort stents have their own unique points. The third generation premium stents (latest generation stent) in the market are not inferior to Abbott, Boston Scientific stents. There is no single patient till now who has come back to me with complaints of stent thrombosis (blood clotting). The structure of the stent is designed so well that it minimises vessel wall inflammation and the stent is designed to release the drug only to the targeted cells. The drug is released in 90 days and the polymer which is outside in specific areas of the stent is fully absorbed in nine months. So chances of blood clot is less.”
Informing that Chinese stents are known for their quality, Dr Lal said, “I was invited to the International Heart Valve conference in China to present the first case of TAVI with Core Valve in the world done by me. I came to know about the features of MicroPort Firehawk target eluting stent. Usually, when we use a product from a particular country, we cross check two things. First to check whether the stent is approved in that country and whether it is used locally.”
Touching upon the price control mechanism on stents, Lal informed that it is undoubtedly a good move for patients, but the capping of prices has left a lot of questions in patients and caregivers. “We need to counsel the patients and inform them that price less stents are not inferior. In a way, they are better price wise and quality wise. We inform them that low cost does not lead to any compromise in patient care. My patients trust me and hence they don’t have any stigma.”
On February 13, the NPPA passed a price cap of $ 108.88 (Rs 7,260) for bare metal stents, and $443.91 (Rs 29,600) for drug-eluting stents, which are used in nearly 90 per cent of angioplasty procedures. More advanced, biodegradable stents were also capped at $443.91.
MicroPort Firehawk stent was first used in a hospital in Mumbai, within a few days of NPPA capping. The firm has a free sale certificate in Germany and the Netherlands, and the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved it for sale in India. Sale of medical equipment in India is permissible if it has prior approval from drug regulators in the US, Australia, Japan or select European countries.