Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.US) experimental Shockwave Javelin catheter technology achieves a 94% success rate, potentially expanding the complex coronary surgery market.

Zhitong Finance APP has learned that Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.US) announced positive 30-day results last Sunday from its experimental Shockwave Javelin catheter clinical trial. This catheter is designed to treat severe coronary artery stenosis that is difficult to reach with conventional devices.

The FORWARD CAD study enrolled 158 patients whose arteries supplying blood to the heart were blocked by hardened calcified plaque. The device achieved a technical success rate of 93.6%, meaning it successfully reached and crossed the target obstructive lesions without major complications observed on final imaging.

At 30 days, 93.4% of patients did not experience major cardiovascular events, including cardiac death, heart attack, or revascularization procedures in the treated artery. Serious complications on imaging were observed in 1.3% of patients.

For investors, these results may support Johnson & Johnson in expanding its cardiovascular device portfolio to more complex coronary surgeries. However, the catheter is still an investigational device in the United States, and the above results do not establish superiority over existing therapies.

The Shockwave Javelin catheter uses ultrasonic pressure waves to fracture hardened calcified deposits, potentially allowing doctors to prepare severely narrowed arteries for stent placement. Stents are mesh tubes used to keep arteries open.

This study was conducted at 28 centers in the United States and United Kingdom, enrolling patients with severe arterial blockage. About 96% of the treated lesions were moderately or severely calcified, and 20% involved arteries that were completely occluded.

The results were announced at the 2026 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in San Diego. This was a single-arm study without a control group, which limits conclusions regarding the device’s relative effectiveness.