Abbott launches dissolving stent abroad

Abbott's new Absorb device is a drug-eluting vascular scaffold that dissolves in the body after about two years--courtesy of Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories ($ABT) touts its Absorb drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold is safer and more effective than metallic stents, and the company has begun shipping the device in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America.



Abbott is now moving at full speed to sell Absorb overseas, and, according to recent analysis, the company stands to rake in big profits in Europe. According to Millennium Research Group, the European market for vascular stents will drop 3.5% a year going forward, but dissolvable devices like Absorb are likely to grow in popularity.

- read Abbott's release