Boston Scientific Receives CE Mark Approval for New Apex(TM) PTCA Dilatation Catheters

New Design Offers Greater Flexibility in the Management of Patients With Complex Atherosclerosis.

PARIS, Oct. - Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) announced today that the Apex(TM) Monorail and Over-The-Wire (OTW) PTCA dilatation catheters have received CE Mark approval. Both Monorail and OTW catheters are available in two designs to provide European physicians with further options for managing patients with complex atherosclerosis (blockage of the arteries).

Apex is a high-performance balloon catheter that allows physicians to reach and cross the most challenging atherosclerotic lesions. Designed for use with drug-eluting stents, Apex has been developed specifically to address physicians' need for a catheter that can reach not only the furthest blockages but also cross particularly tight or complex lesions.

Dr. Marie-Claude Morice, head of the Institut Cardiovasculaire Paris Sud, France, was the first clinician to use catheters from the new Apex product line. "Apex PTCA dilatation catheters performed well during intervention procedures," she said. "The catheters are easy to guide through vessels and can cross lesions efficiently. I welcome innovative designs like Apex, which should benefit patients by minimising trauma and helping to reduce procedure time."

Apex represents a totally new strategy in balloon catheters, giving today's physicians the technology they need to treat complex lesions. Both Apex Monorail and OTW catheters are available in two different 1.5 mm designs, "Apex 1.5 mm Push" and "Apex 1.5 mm Flex". Apex Push offers optimal pushability for tight lesions, while Apex Flex provides excellent performance for the most tortuous arteries. The dual Apex 1.5 mm balloon catheter designs enable physicians to select the appropriate catheter based on the clinical situation.

"Achieving CE Mark approval is an important step for Apex," said Jeff Goodman, President of Boston Scientific International. "As a leader in the field of cardiovascular device technology, Boston Scientific listened and responded to physicians' requests for improvements to existing catheters. We are delighted to offer this highly innovative device that addresses physicians' needs for treating the most difficult and tortuous coronary lesions."

PTCA dilatation catheters are used to open up arteries blocked by atherosclerosis, which if left untreated can cause heart attacks and strokes by stopping blood from reaching the heart muscle and brain. Coronary heart disease by itself is the single most common cause of death in Europe, accounting for 1.95 million deaths in Europe each year.(1)

Apex is the latest technological development by Boston Scientific to improve the management of patients with coronary atherosclerosis undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Boston Scientific enables PCI optimisation through a broad range of devices, including ultrasound imaging to assess lesions and balloon catheters and drug-eluting stents to reopen blocked arteries. This broad portfolio of devices enables physicians to achieve safe and effective outcomes for their patients.

Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. | www.bostonscientific.com.

Arteries become blocked as a result of a process called atherosclerosis ('hardening of the arteries'), in which the arteries become blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits (termed 'plaque'). Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. As it grows, the build-up of plaque narrows the inside of the artery and, in time, may restrict blood flow to the heart or the brain leading to heart attack or stroke.

Blocked arteries can be opened by insertion of a catheter (which is a thin flexible tube) into the artery (the catheter is actually inserted into the patient's femoral artery in the groin and guided along the arterial system to the site of the blockage) and inflation of a tiny balloon at the tip of the catheter to stretch the artery. When the catheter is removed a tiny rigid tube, or stent, is left in the artery to keep it open. Rates of stent placement vary widely but approximately 500 stents are inserted per million population in Europe.(2) | www.bostonscientific.com| Por. PR Newswire