Successful clinical trials suggest a new treatment for patients with blocked coronary arteries is safe.

Fifteen out of 20 patients suffering from chronic total occlusion (CTO) successfully underwent angioplasty after receiving an injection of an investigational drug called MZ-004, an enzyme that softens the plaque blocking coronary arteries.

The success rate of angioplasty has been low in the past, and the treatment provides patients with the option of receiving angioplasty, rather than bypass surgery or medications.