Boston Scientific's Ion and Taxus Liberté DES Approved for Treating AMI Patients

February 22, 2012—Boston Scientific Corporation (Natick, MA) announced that the Ion paclitaxel-eluting platinum chromium coronary stent system and the Taxus Liberté paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system have received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in patients experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

According to the company, the new indication for the devices is a result of the FDA's review of data from the TAXUS clinical program and HORIZONS-AMI trial. In the global HORIZONS-AMI trial, 3,006 patients were randomized to receive either drug-eluting stents or bare-metal stents for the treatment of AMI. The company noted that treatment of AMI accounts for approximately 10% of all coronary interventions.