Persistent severe asthma patients may benefit from bronchial thermoplasty (BT) with reduced ER and hospital visits, suggests a Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific sponsored study of its Alair System, presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting in Washington yesterday. Results from the Post Approval Clinical Trial Evaluating Bronchial Thermoplasty in Severe Persistent Asthma (PAS2) study revealed two-year improvement in complications for those with severe disease. The study indicated patients who relied on inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists as well as other medications to manage their asthma would benefit from the minimally invasive thermal treatment. "The results...

Persistent severe asthma patients may benefit from bronchial thermoplasty (BT) with reduced ER and hospital visits, suggests a Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific sponsored study of its Alair System, presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting in Washington yesterday.

Salt Lake City-based Alucent Medical Inc. reported it has been granted FDA approval to begin phase I trials of a combination drug/device intended to treat peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Called Natural Vascular Scaffolding (NVS), it is the first offering of privately held Alucent, which was formed to develop and market NVS.