Cypher is a brand of drug-eluting coronary stent from Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company. During a balloon angioplasty, the stent is inserted into the artery to provide a "scaffold" to open the artery. An anti-rejection-type medication, sirolimus, helps to limit the overgrowth of normal cells while the artery heals which reduces the chance of re-blockage in the treated area known as restenosis, and reduces the chances that another procedure is required.
Following claims of inconsistent manufacturing processes and poor sales, Johnson & Johnson have announced that it will stop selling Cypher stents by the end of 2011.