Paclitaxel-coated balloons with different drug-excipient formulations appear to provide comparable outcomes in coronary interventions. A head-to-head study published in Clinical Research in Cardiology compared one-year results between urea-based and iopromide-based paclitaxel-coated balloons in 448 patients treated between 2021 and 2024 across two centers.

At one year, both groups showed identical TLF (8.1%), which included target lesion revascularization, target vessel myocardial infarction, and cardiac death. The adjusted hazard ratio for TLF was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.27–3.00). Secondary endpoints were similar, and subgroup analyses showed no significant differences by lesion type.

These findings indicate that both paclitaxel-coated balloon formulations achieve consistent efficacy and safety in real-world coronary angioplasty. The evidence supports flexible device selection based on procedural needs and availability rather than formulation type.