Boston Scientific plans to launch the Taxus Liberte stent in early November 2008 in the US, following completion of the introduction of its Taxus Express(2) Atom paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system, which was approved by the FDA in September 2008.
Jim Tobin, president and CEO of Boston Scientific, said: “We believe the approval of Taxus Liberte is a clear indication that we have made significant progress toward resolving the issues related to the corporate warning letter.”
William Hunter, president and CEO of Angiotech, said: “The US approvals of the Taxus Liberte and Atom represent the second and third generation of paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents to be launched by Boston Scientific – at a time when many others are still using first-generation technology. Over this time, the paclitaxel platform has shown tremendous efficacy and longevity in the treatment of millions of patients with life-threatening heart disease. Boston Scientific continues to make progress advancing the Taxus program and we believe it will be a mainstay of therapy for many years to come.”