National University of Science & Technology (NUST) has started producing cardiac stents, a landmark development in medical industry. This achievement will lessen burden from poor patients.

The Medical Devices Development Centre (MDDC), NUST School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering has successfully developed these devices in Pakistan for the first time led by Dr. Murtaza Najabat Ali.

Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has funded production of cardiac stents both bare-metal and drug-eluted and angioplasty balloon catheters. For the first time in Pakistan, the medical industry is producing devices to treat devices.

NUST-MDDC is looking to set up a connection of academia with industry to progress the overlooked medical devices industry.

“NUST-MDDC considering serial production and commercialization of its products to guarantee inexpensive angioplasty kits for public”, said an official.

At Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) around 450 units of the indigenously developed savior (bare-metal), stents have been successfully fixed in patients at 1/6th of cost than imported stents as per market.

“We are currently importing at an inflated cost of the devices, medical implants and industrial systems, we need resources for developing this industry,” said the official.