Abbott to withdraw two high-end stents after govt's price cap

Not sustainable to have latest stents due to price cap, says pharmaceutical company

Stent maker Abbott has filed an application with the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) for withdrawing two of its high-end stents. These are its fully dissolvable Absorb and Xience Alpine. 

This move is a result of the government capping prices of stents in February, the company has confirmed, saying that it would be unsustainable to have the latest technologies at this point. 

Abbott was the first company to introduce Absorb, that could dissolve completely with time unlike other stents that leave a residue in the heart. 

Absorb was priced at almost Rs 2 lakh before the cap was imposed. In February, the NPPA