Covidien commences enrolment for new iliac stent trials

Covidien has begun enrolment for two new clinical studies of medical stent systems for use in treating diseases of the iliac arteries.

The first patients have been signed up to take part in the Durability Iliac and Visibility Iliac trials, which will be conducted in Europe and the US among patients with peripheral arterial disease, one of the most common vascular ailments.

Study organisers will be assessing the performance of the Protege EverFlex self-expanding stent, Protege GPS self-expanding nitinol stent and Visi-Pro balloon expandable stent in terms of safety and efficacy.

It is hoped that the results will reinforce the effectiveness of these products as standard therapy options for iliac artery diseases.

Joe Woody, president for vascular therapies at Covidien, said: "Covidien is committed to improving clinical outcomes and furthering the evaluation of the effectiveness of our stent systems."

According to its most recent financial report, the company saw a 14 percent year-on-year increase in sales in the most recent quarter.