Medical device maker Medtronic plc. Ordinary Shares (NYSE:MDT) is taking steps to expand its structural heart and coronary business. In this regard the firm will be conducting a randomized clinical trial where Dual Antiplatelet Therapy will be evaluated in those patients who have Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent implanted in them in the course of percutaneous coronary intervention procedures.

DAPT orDual Antiplatelet Therapyuses a combination of anti-clotting medication and aspirin. Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent has evolved from Continuous Sinusoid Technology and was the first Drug-Eluting Stent to function with Core Wire Technology. With Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent surgeons are afforded enhanced visibility and this allows for the delivery of superior clinical performance.

DAPT guidelines

The DAPT clinical trial will help to inform the guidelines for DAPT especially for the upcoming DES which currently only offers support for bare-metal stents. Additionally the study also seeks to demonstrate the clinical investment that Medtronic has made with a view to providing the relevant DAPT evidence that physicians need both for the previous generation DES and the current generation DES.

The therapy guidelines for DAPT vary depending on one’s geographical location. They also vary depending on patient presentation. The duration that the evaluation for DAPT will take is dependent on an individual as well as clinical judgment, patient preference, product labelling and risk/benefit analysis. 2,000 patients drawn from all over the world will be involved in the study.

Good timing

Given that there is a huge and a growing demand for stents globally the move by Medtronic comes at an opportune time. A Transparency Market Research report indicates that the stents market across the globe will grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 6.6% between 2013 and 2019.

So far DES has achieved the primary endpoint with regards to treating coronary artery disease for patients suffering from extra-small vessels. Resolute Onyx Drug-Eluting Stent has also been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And following its launch in the United States earlier in the year it is also now being sold in Japan.

On Thursday shares of Medtronic stood at $83.67 after declining by 1.10%.