Market Update: Growth And Opportunities In Peripheral Artery Disease

In recent years, drug-coated balloon catheters (DCBs) have emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the peripheral artery disease (PAD) market, driven by an aging population, improving reimbursement rates and a growing body of clinical evidence. DCBs have been in use in Europe since 2009, with products such as Boston Scientific Corp.’s Ranger, Cardionovum’sLegflow, Eurocor GMBH’s Freeway, Bayer AG’s Cotavance and Medtronic PLC’s IN.PACT vying with CR Bard Inc.’s Lutonix for market share. Now the US is starting to enjoy the benefits DCBs can bring as they increasingly gain FDA approval. From small beginnings, the market for DCBs in the US could be worth almost $1 billion by the end of the decade, according to some estimates. (SeeAlso see "Peripheral Artery Disease: Treatments And Diagnostics Poised For Growth" - Medtech Insight, 14 August, 2014.andAlso see "Drug-Coated Balloons Fuel Multibillion-Dollar Hopes" - Medtech Insight, 30 January, 2013..)

The growing use of DCBs is a response to the relatively high restenosis rate after conventional angioplasty procedures, usually caused by growth of neointimal tissue at the site of the procedure