FDA: Benefits still outweigh risks from paclitaxel-coated devices for PAD

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a letter alerting health care providers that it is aware of and examining recent data on an increase in long-term mortality rates for patients receiving paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents for treatment of peripheral artery disease.

“Currently, the FDA believes that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for approved paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents when used in accordance with their indications for use,” William Maisel, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the FDA, wrote in a letter to health care providers.

The FDA letter was in response to a recent systematic review of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Konstantinos Katsanos, MD, PhD, from Patras University Hospital in Rion, Greece, and colleagues performed the systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with 4,663 patients who received paclitaxel-coated devices in the femoral and/or popliteal arteries and found similar 1-year risk of all-cause patient mortality (2.3%; risk ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.61). However, there was an increased risk of all-cause mortality for patients with paclitaxel-coated devices at 2 years (7.2% vs. 3.8%; RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.15-2.47) and at 5 years (14.7% vs. 8.1%; RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27-2.93), compared with control groups. The number needed to harm at 2 years was 29 patients (95% CI, 19-59) and 14 patients (95% CI, 9-32) at 5 years. Their meta regression analysis found a significant link between paclitaxel exposure and absolute risk of death.

“Actual causes for this serious late side effect remain unknown, and further investigations with longer-term follow-up are urgently warranted,” Dr. Katsanos and colleagues wrote in their review.

The FDA told health care providers of patients with paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to continue surveillance of these patients per standard of care, to discuss the risks and benefits of PAD treatment options with patients, and to report any adverse or suspected adverse events to MedWatch.

The FDA said they are currently evaluating long-term data on paclitaxel-coated products to determine whether the devices carry an increased risk of death or other long-term risks, and noted there were several paclitaxel-coated balloons or paclitaxel-eluting stents that have either been approved or are under study in the United States.

SOURCE: Katsanos K et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011245.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a letter alerting health care providers that it is aware of and examining recent data on an increase in long-term mortality rates for patients receiving paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents for treatment of peripheral artery disease.

“Currently, the FDA believes that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for approved paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents when used in accordance with their indications for use,” William Maisel, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the FDA, wrote in a letter to health care providers.

The FDA letter was in response to a recent systematic review of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Konstantinos Katsanos, MD, PhD, from Patras University Hospital in Rion, Greece, and colleagues performed the systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with 4,663 patients who received paclitaxel-coated devices in the femoral and/or popliteal arteries and found similar 1-year risk of all-cause patient mortality (2.3%; risk ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.61). However, there was an increased risk of all-cause mortality for patients with paclitaxel-coated devices at 2 years (7.2% vs. 3.8%; RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.15-2.47) and at 5 years (14.7% vs. 8.1%; RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27-2.93), compared with control groups. The number needed to harm at 2 years was 29 patients (95% CI, 19-59) and 14 patients (95% CI, 9-32) at 5 years. Their meta regression analysis found a significant link between paclitaxel exposure and absolute risk of death.

“Actual causes for this serious late side effect remain unknown, and further investigations with longer-term follow-up are urgently warranted,” Dr. Katsanos and colleagues wrote in their review.

The FDA told health care providers of patients with paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to continue surveillance of these patients per standard of care, to discuss the risks and benefits of PAD treatment options with patients, and to report any adverse or suspected adverse events to MedWatch.

The FDA said they are currently evaluating long-term data on paclitaxel-coated products to determine whether the devices carry an increased risk of death or other long-term risks, and noted there were several paclitaxel-coated balloons or paclitaxel-eluting stents that have either been approved or are under study in the United States.

SOURCE: Katsanos K et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011245.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a letter alerting health care providers that it is aware of and examining recent data on an increase in long-term mortality rates for patients receiving paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents for treatment of peripheral artery disease.

“Currently, the FDA believes that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for approved paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents when used in accordance with their indications for use,” William Maisel, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the FDA, wrote in a letter to health care providers.

The FDA letter was in response to a recent systematic review of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Konstantinos Katsanos, MD, PhD, from Patras University Hospital in Rion, Greece, and colleagues performed the systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with 4,663 patients who received paclitaxel-coated devices in the femoral and/or popliteal arteries and found similar 1-year risk of all-cause patient mortality (2.3%; risk ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.61). However, there was an increased risk of all-cause mortality for patients with paclitaxel-coated devices at 2 years (7.2% vs. 3.8%; RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.15-2.47) and at 5 years (14.7% vs. 8.1%; RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27-2.93), compared with control groups. The number needed to harm at 2 years was 29 patients (95% CI, 19-59) and 14 patients (95% CI, 9-32) at 5 years. Their meta regression analysis found a significant link between paclitaxel exposure and absolute risk of death.

“Actual causes for this serious late side effect remain unknown, and further investigations with longer-term follow-up are urgently warranted,” Dr. Katsanos and colleagues wrote in their review.

The FDA told health care providers of patients with paclitaxel-coated balloons and paclitaxel-eluting stents to continue surveillance of these patients per standard of care, to discuss the risks and benefits of PAD treatment options with patients, and to report any adverse or suspected adverse events to MedWatch.

The FDA said they are currently evaluating long-term data on paclitaxel-coated products to determine whether the devices carry an increased risk of death or other long-term risks, and noted there were several paclitaxel-coated balloons or paclitaxel-eluting stents that have either been approved or are under study in the United States.

SOURCE: Katsanos K et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011245.