Boston Scientific gets Canadian approval for stent

Natick medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp.said today it has received regulatory clearance to sell its Taxus Liberte drug-eluting stent (right) in Canada.

Stents are wire mesh tubes used to keep open arteries that have been unclogged during medical procedures such as coronary angioplasties. Some stents are bare metal. More expensive drug-coated stents elute drugs that are hoped to reduce the rate at which arteries reclog. There has been debate over which type of stent is more effective.

The stent approved by Canadian regulators is the Taxus Liberte paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent, Boston Scientific said.

That stent has been previously approved for sale in Europe and other international markets and is currently awaiting US approval by the Food and Drug Administration, the company said.

In mid-day trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Boston Scientific shares were down 16 cents to $12.42.

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(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)