Boston Scientific launches drug-eluting stent system

17 January 2005

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has launched its TAXUS Liberte paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system in 18 countries. The TAXUS Liberte stent system features the company's next-generation Liberte coronary stent.

"The launch of our TAXUS Liberte stent system represents another milestone in the field of drug-eluting stents," said Jim Tobin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Scientific. "It is the first drug-eluting coronary stent system to incorporate a next-generation stent. By combining our new Liberte stent with our ground-breaking TAXUS technology, we will now provide physicians the latest, state-of-the-art drug-eluting stent technology for the treatment of coronary artery disease."

The Liberte stent features the Veriflex stent design, a highly flexible cell geometry with thin struts and uniform cell distribution. This new platform offers improved deliverability and conformability in challenging anatomy. It also features the enhanced TrakTip catheter tip, mounted on the Maverick2 delivery catheter, which provides better lesion crossability. In addition, TrakTip has a low lesion-entry profile, which further improves crossability.

"The Liberte stent is a major advance in stent development and raises the bar for drug-eluting stent systems," said John Ormiston, M.D., interventional cardiologist at Mercy Hospital and the Green Lane Cardiovascular Unit of the Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand. "My experience with the Liberte system demonstrates that it represents a dramatic step forward in stent technology. Its ability to conform to the vessel wall is outstanding, and its ease of deliverability allows us to more easily reach some of the most difficult lesions. This innovation is welcome news for interventional cardiologists and patients who suffer from coronary artery disease."

The company received the CE Mark for the bare metal Liberte stent system in December 2003 and plans to launch the TAXUS (drug-eluting) Liberte system in Europe later this year. In the US, Boston Scientific has announced enrollment in the ATLAS clinical trial, a pivotal study designed to support US Food and Drug Administration approval of the TAXUS Liberte stent system. Boston Scientific's first-generation drug-eluting stent system, the TAXUS Express2 paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system, is the worldwide leader in the coronary stent market.

For more information, visit: www.bostonscientific.com