Landmark study using MicroPort’s Firehawk™ Stent recognized for advancing antiplatelet therapy simplification after PCI
SHANGHAI, China – 05 February, 2026 – MicroPort Scientific Corporation (HKEX: 00853 “MicroPort®”) today announced that the TARGET-FIRST trial1,2 has been recognized as one of the top 10 interventional cardiology papers of 2025 and designated a “landmark study” in a viewpoint article published in the European Heart Journal3, one of the world’s leading cardiovascular journals.
The viewpoint article “The Year in Cardiovascular Medicine 2025: The Top 10 Papers in Interventional Cardiology” features studies selected for their methodological rigor, innovation, and expected impact on future clinical guideline recommendations. Authored by leading cardiologists from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA and University Medical Centre Mainz, Germany it recognizes TARGET-FIRST for its important contribution to simplifying antiplatelet therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
The authors specifically noted that “TARGET-FIRST was a landmark study assessing early aspirin withdrawal in low-risk acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing complete revascularization.” The article further stated that the study’s findings “provide compelling support for a simplified antiplatelet pathway in carefully selected post-MI patients,” and represents “a decisive movement towards shortened aspirin exposure even in [acute coronary syndrome].”
The TARGET-FIRST trial, presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine1, demonstrated that in selected low-risk acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who underwent complete revascularization with Firehawk™ stents, shortening dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) from 12 months to 1 month followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy showed non-inferior ischemic outcomes while achieving superior reduction in clinically relevant bleeding.
“This recognition from the European Heart Journal underscores the clinical significance of TARGET-FIRST and validates our commitment to advancing patient care through rigorous clinical research,” said Brian Chang, Chief Medical Officer of MicroPort®. “Being named a landmark study alongside other pivotal trials demonstrates the study’s potential to change clinical practice and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.”
The TARGET-FIRST trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04753749), a collaborative work between European Key Opinion Leaders from the steering committee and MicroPort®, is a prospective, open-label, multicenter randomized controlled trial that enrolled 2,246 patients across 40 European centers in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Austria, and Portugal. After complete revascularization using Firehawk Liberty™, and one month of DAPT (aspirin + P2Y12 inhibitor), 1,942 eligible patients were randomized to continue DAPT for an additional 11 months, or switch to P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy. The study met its primary non-inferiority endpoint for net adverse clinical and cerebrovascular events and its secondary superiority endpoint of reducing clinically relevant bleeding by 54%.
The Firehawk™ stent features MicroPort®’s innovative abluminal microgroove technology, enabling targeted drug delivery with an ultra-low rapamycin dosage of just 0.3 µg/mm², significantly lower than conventional drug-eluting stents4 while maintaining clinical efficacy5. In October 2025, MicroPort® announced that cumulative global shipments and implantations of its coronary stent systems have each surpassed 10 million units as of September 2025.
About MicroPort Scientific Corporation (MicroPort®)
Since 1998, MicroPort® (MicroPort Scientific Corporation; HKEX: 00853) has been breaking barriers and accelerating access to life-changing solutions so that patients everywhere can live better and longer lives. As a global medical device company, MicroPort® provides solutions across twelve therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, orthopedics, endovascular, neurovascular and surgical robotics. Serving over 100 countries and 20,000 hospitals, MicroPort® provides a medical solution to a patient every 5 seconds.
References:
Tarantini G, et al. Early Discontinuation of Aspirin after PCI in Low-Risk Acute Myocardial Infarction. N Engl J Med. 2025 August 31. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2508808
Tarantini G, Smits PC, Lhermusier T, Honton B, Rangé G, Piot C, Lemesle G, Ruiz Nodar JM, Godin M, Madera Cambero M, Motreff P, Cuisset T, Bouchez D, Poezevara Y, Cayla G. A prospective study comparing short versus standard dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction: design and rationale of the TARGET-FIRST trial. EuroIntervention. 2023 Jun 19;19(3):240-247. doi: 10.4244/EIJ-D-22-01006. PMID: 36999409; PMCID: PMC11064808.
Emanuele Barbato, Margaret McEntegart, Tommaso Gori, The year in cardiovascular medicine 2025: the top 10 papers in interventional cardiology, European Heart Journal, Volume 47, Issue 4, 21 January 2026, Pages 405–407, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf1046
Competitive comparison based on publicly available Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data (SSEDs) from competitor devices.
Lansky, Alexandra et al. Targeted therapy with a localised abluminal groove, low-dose sirolimus-eluting, biodegradable polymer coronary stent (TARGET All Comers): a multicentre, open-label, randomised non-inferiority trial, The Lancet, Volume 392, Issue 10153, 1117 – 1126
For more information, please visit:
https://microport.com/healthcare-professional/cardiovascular/firehawk-family