A Convergence Problem: Getting the Drug on the Device

Drug-eluting stents are highly successful medical devices but even their manufacturers don't have adequate solutions for a hidden problem in drug-device combinations; the best way to get the drug on the device. Sarnoff Corp.has a new technology for addressing this complex process. Called electro-static deposition, it brings increased flexibility, reproducibility, accuracy, and uniformity to a manufacturing process which using current methods is costly and inefficient,

Drug-eluting stents are one of the most successful medical devices ever, but even their manufacturers don't have adequate solutions for a hidden problem in drug-device combination products: the best way to get drugs on devices on a large scale. That's the contention of Russ Granzow, who is head of the life sciences and health care operations at SRI International division Sarnoff Corp. , a technology development company.

Although tens of thousands of drug-coated stents run through manufacturing plants each day, making them is a relatively manual process....

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