Biliary stent survey
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Polled interventional radiologists said they would increase their use of biliary stents if the devices received FDA approval for use in the peripheral vasculature, some by as much as 50%, according to a recent survey by the Millennium Research Group. Biliary stents are approved for use in bile ducts only, but are commonly used off label in peripheral arteries. "Physician attitudes toward off-label use of stents may provoke new manufacturer initiatives to obtain artery-specific FDA approval," says Millennium Research Group analyst Darren Navarro. "It might enable manufacturers to increase the price of their stents, growing revenues." The Department of Justice is conducting a civil investigation of allegations that Boston Scientific and other firms promoted biliary stents for off-label uses, Boston Scientific announced Feb. 28 in its annual report