Boston Scientific launches chronic pancreatitis stent trial

Boston Scientific has announced the commencement of patient enrolment for a new clinical trial assessing the benefits of its new stent technology for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis.

The study will compare the performance of the WallFlex Biliary RX Fully Covered self-expanding metal stent to plastic stents in treating benign bile duct strictures caused by the disease.

Having enrolled the first patient for the trial, Boston Scientific will now be recruiting a total of 164 subjects across a number of countries.

Data from a separate single-arm study showed that the WallFlex Stent can offer favourable short-term stricture resolution rates compared to plastic alternatives and are removable any time up to one year post-placement.

David Pierce, president of the endoscopy business at Boston Scientific, said: "We are hopeful that the results of this study will demonstrate clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of a single metal stent approach versus plastic stenting, which typically requires multiple procedures."

Last week, the company enrolled its first patient for a study of its Synergy stent system, with the aim of supporting US and Japanese regulatory approval of the device.