Sirolimus-coated percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters (SCBs) for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)

Published on 25 Sep 2023
Last Updated on 6 Nov 2025

Guidance Recommendations

The Ministry of Health’s Medical Technology Advisory Committee has recommended subsidy for sirolimus-coated percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters (SCBs) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), where percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is indicated when:

• SCB is used as an alternative to drug-eluting coronary stents in certain lesions (such as in-stent restenosis [ISR], small vessel [e.g. < 2.5 mm], or long diffuse disease [e.g. >30 mm]) where:

  • The insertion of drug-eluting coronary stents is not appropriate or technically possible; or

  • There are clinical reasons to minimise duration of antiplatelet treatment (e.g. increased risk of bleeding, need for surgical intervention); OR

• Paclitaxel-coated percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters (PCB) have previously been used but failed (e.g. recurrent ISR previously treated with PCB, challenging coronary anatomy, unavailable size or length of PCB).

Funding status

SCB is recommended for subsidy for treatment of coronary lesions in patients with CAD, in line with the abovementioned recommendations. Subsidies apply only to models listed in the Annex of this guidance.

Sirolimus coated balloons for patients with CAD (Published 6 November 2025)

Sirolimus coated balloons for patients with CAD Annex (Published 6 November 2025)