- via Gina Kolata at the NYT
- The findings of a new study just published in the Lancet counter decades of clinical experience on the use of stents to treat chest pain.
- “It’s a very humbling study for someone who puts in stents," says a cardiologist at the University of Michigan. Another from BU calls the results "unbelievable." One from Stanford says the study was "very well conducted," but leaves some questions unanswered.
- The double-blind study involved giving patients a real or fake insertion of a stent - a rare cardiology study in which some are given a sham procedure. Following up six weeks later, both sets of patients said they had less chest pain, and performed better than previously on treadmill tests. Researchers found, however, no real difference between those who got stents and those who didn't.
- Among U.S. sellers of the devices - Boston Scientific (BSX -1.4%), Medtronic (MDT -1.6%), and Abbott Labs (ABT +0.3%). All have ticked lower since the story broke about one hour ago.
- Now read: Abbott Laboratories 2017 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Slides
Original article