MICROPORT (00853) announced that the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) recently published the full results of the European TARGET-FIRST clinical study on the company's independently developed Firehawk® coronary rapamycin drug-eluting stent system (Firehawk® stent). The results were simultaneously presented at the European Society of Cardiology 2025 Congress (ESC 2025) in Spain as part of the "Hot Line - Latest Breakthrough Clinical Trials" session. The study demonstrated that for low-risk acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who achieved complete revascularization with the Firehawk® stent, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration can be shortened from 12 months to just 1 month without increasing ischemic risk, while significantly reducing bleeding complications.
The New England Journal of Medicine is renowned for its high impact factor, rigorous peer review process, and powerful global academic influence, ranking as the world's premier medical journal. Its authority is widely recognized as the highest standard for evaluating scientific innovation and clinical outcomes. The European Society of Cardiology Congress is also a leading global cardiovascular academic event. The simultaneous debut through both "top-tier journal fast track + core session at top-tier academic conference" is extremely rare, reserved only for groundbreaking research with strong breakthrough potential that can rapidly change global clinical practice and has significant public health implications. The TARGET-FIRST study receiving such recognition and treatment fully demonstrates its academic significance and the unique clinical value of the Firehawk® stent.
Previously, another European clinical trial of the Firehawk® stent, TARGET AC, was published in the prestigious journal The Lancet for solving the long-standing medical challenge of late thrombosis, generating global attention for this Chinese-manufactured product. Two completely independent large-scale clinical studies conducted in Europe have not only confirmed the clinical benefits of the Firehawk® stent but also demonstrated its economic potential and humanitarian advantages. With key factors that substantially influence cardiovascular clinical practice and comprehensive treatment strategies, the Firehawk® stent is positioned to become one of the rare medical solutions that can break the "high quality-economic efficiency-accessibility" impossible triangle.
The company remains committed to developing innovative medical devices and technologies, collaborating with world-class researchers to let Chinese-made products speak boldly with data on the global stage, validating safety and efficacy through solid clinical evidence, enabling more patients to benefit from the company's technology.
The Firehawk® stent is the company's independently developed third-generation coronary drug-eluting stent system, combining the "low restenosis rate" characteristics of drug-eluting stents with the "extremely low late thrombosis rate" advantages of bare metal stents. The system employs an intermittent single-sided groove drug-loading design with drug-polymer controlled release. The drug/coating polymer tightly wrapped within the grooves is only released upon reaching the vascular lesion site, achieving "targeted, timed, and quantified" rapamycin delivery. The drug load is only one-third of conventional stents, and the coating area covers only about 5% of the total metal surface area, essentially maintaining the structural morphology of bare stents. This enables the Firehawk® stent to maintain its drug-eluting stent properties and basic functions while achieving rapid endothelialization healing effects comparable to bare stents.
The TARGET-FIRST study further validates the systematic clinical benefits of the company's unique design philosophy of approaching bare stent characteristics as closely as possible in terms of coating area and drug loading. To date, the Firehawk® stent has entered 67 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, Americas, Africa, and Oceania. Encouraged by the TARGET-FIRST clinical results, the company will subsequently focus on commercial promotion activities for the Firehawk® stent in the North American market.