Drug-eluting biostable and erodible stents.

This paper reviews the latest research and development of drug-eluting stents. The emphasis is on coronary stenting, and both biostable and bioerodible stents are covered in this review. The advantages and shortcomings of the bioactive molecules used in these stents are analyzed, along with the rationale for using bioerodible coatings. The overall emphasis is on the performance of these stents in the clinic. Based on the evaluation of the different stent types, we conclude that fully-erodible stents with a coating of antiproliferative drug will slowly gain market share in the near future, and that the search for a more selective anti-proliferative compound will continue. Dual-drug eluting stents (DDESs) will have their market share but possibly a much smaller one than that for single-drug eluting stents due to the complexities and costs of DDES unless significantly superior performance is demonstrated in the clinic.