Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Acclarent demonstrated its hand-held Relieva sinuplasty technology with its first in-office demonstration procedure in Malaysia, seeking to highlight the minimally invasive procedure for sinusitis as the company starts a push in Asia.

Following the lead of ENT start-ups like Acclarent and Entellus Medical, Intersect ENT Inc. is introducing a line of stent like implants capable of performing the same role drug-eluting stents played in interventional cardiology. Intersect’s implants provide moderate structural support to tissue that has been cut or dilated through FESS or balloon sinuplasty. But the principal function of the implant isn’t propping open nasal passageways but rather delivering drugs. A trio of clinical studies conducted by the company has found the released steroids produced statistically significant reductions in inflammation, polyp formation, and postoperative adhesions.

The second company in the US looking to replace certain sinus surgeries with interventional procedures, Entellus is looking to further advance this technology by moving treatment from the OR to the doctor's office.