Cypher is a brand of drug-eluting coronary stent from Cordis Corporation, a

Cardinal Health Cardinal Health, Inc. is an American multinational health care services company, and the 14th highest revenue generating company in the United States. Its headquarters are in Dublin, Ohio and Dublin, Ireland (EMEA). The company specializes in ...

company. During a balloon

angioplasty Angioplasty, is also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructed arteries or veins, typically to treat arterial atheroscle ...

, the stent is inserted into the artery to provide a "scaffold" to open the artery. An anti-rejection-type medication,

sirolimus Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin and sold under the brand name Rapamune among others, is a macrolide compound that is used to coat coronary stents, prevent organ transplant rejection, treat a rare lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosi ...

, helps to limit the overgrowth of normal cells while the artery heals which reduces the chance of re-blockage in the treated area known as

restenosis Restenosis is the recurrence of stenosis, a narrowing of a blood vessel, leading to restricted blood flow. Restenosis usually pertains to an artery or other large blood vessel that has become narrowed, received treatment to clear the blockage and s ...

, and reduces the chances that another procedure is required. The Cypher stent was approved for use by the FDA in 2003. Following claims of inconsistent manufacturing processes and poor sales, Johnson & Johnson have announced that it will stop selling Cypher stents by the end of 2011.

References

Drug delivery devices {{medical-equipment-stub

See also

References