Boston Scientific Stent Approved in France

Boston Scientific said Wednesday the French government approved for reimbursement its Taxus Liberte stent system.

The approval means the Taxus Liberte paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system will be available to coronary artery disease patients in private and public hospitals throughout France.

Until now, many French patients suffering from coronary artery disease were unable to benefit from the Taxus Liberte stent system due to the lack of reimbursement, Philippe Brunel, interventional cardiologist at the Nouvelles Cliniques Nantaises in Nantes, said in a statement released by Boston Scientific.

The Taxus Liberte stent system offers cardiologists and patients benefits due to its superior deliverability, Brunel added.

More than 165,000 stents are implanted annually in France, with about half of these being drug-eluting stents such as the Taxus Liberte system.

Market analysts predict that Boston Scientific will beat rival Medtronic to the U.S. drug-eluting coronary stent market in 2006.

Medtronic makes the Endeavor stent, which the company launched in foreign markets last year.