Boston Scientific reports positive results for Taxus Liberte stent

Boston Scientific has announced the publication of positive trial results for the second-generation Taxus Liberte coronary stent system in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.

The article has reviewed the Taxus Atlas trial which compared the Taxus Liberte stent system to the Taxus Express2 stent system, reporting that the lower bailout rate and shorter procedure time of the former could provide potential for improved conformability and deliverability.

Receiving a CE Mark in Europe and other non-US countries in September 2005, the Taxus Liberte stent is a leading drug-eluting stent on the international market. It is not yet available in the US, with its approval from the US Food and Drug Administration currently pending.

Marc Turco, director of the centre for cardiac and vascular research at the Washington Adventist Hospital, said: “Atlas clinical outcomes highlight that despite more complex lesions, the Taxus Liberte stent performed extremely well and achieved similar rates of death, myocardial infarction and repeat procedures compared to an historical Taxus Express control.”

Paul LaViolette, chief operating officer of Boston Scientific, hailed the device as the latest novel development from its drug-eluting stent research pipeline, describing the ability to deliver paclitaxel in a more successful manner as proof of the leadership qualities of the company.

Last month, Boston Scientific announced that its Taxus Liberte long stent – that facilitates the treatment of longer coronary artery lesions – had been granted a CE mark, gaining approval for the product to be marketed in European markets.