Boston Scientific launches Taxus Liberte drug-eluting stent in Japan

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced the launch of its TAXUS Liberte Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in Japan.

The product was approved on January 28 by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and reimbursement was granted yesterday by the National Health Insurance System.

TAXUS Liberte is the only second-generation drug-eluting stent available in Japan. Design improvements over the Company's first-generation TAXUS(R) Express2(TM) Stent include thinner struts to allow better stent deliverability and conformability, as well as uniform stent geometry for consistent lesion coverage and drug distribution.

"We are very pleased to launch TAXUS Liberte as the only second-generation drug-eluting stent in Japan," said Maulik Nanavaty, President of Boston Scientific Japan. "Boston Scientific has already established a diversified product portfolio in the coronary intervention field, and we are committed to building on these leading treatment options for Japanese patients with coronary artery disease."

Approximately 1,300 medical centers perform cardiac catheterization in Japan. The number of coronary stents implanted annually in the country is estimated at 200,000.

Boston Scientific is the leading supplier of drug-eluting stent technology in the world and hopes to extend its leadership with this new stent offering in Japan.

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