Boston Scientific falls on new stent questions

Shares of Natick medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp. fell today as researchers raised new questions about the effectiveness of drug-coated stents, which are used to treat clogged arteries.

Boston Scientific shares fell 64 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $12.74 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

On Tuesday, researchers reported that drugs are just as effective as artery-opening stents at treating patients with long-term chest pain who are not at risk of heart attack.

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed the advantage of stents versus drugs at relieving pain in these non-emergency cases fades within six months and vanishes after three years.

Boston Scientific reported $382 million in sales from its Taxus stents last quarter.

Stents are tiny tubes mesh tubes used to hold open arteries after they have been cleared of fatty plaque.

Shares were also pressured by a Wall Street Journal report claiming that the company's studies of its next-generation Taxus Liberte stent are based on flawed data. According to the Journal, Boston Scientific's analysis of its clinical trials gave undue advantage the stent, which is sold in Europe.

Using over a dozen other methods of calculation, the Taxus Liberte would have failed to meet the company's goal of showing 'non-inferior' results compared with an older Boston Scientific stent, the newspaper reported.

Company spokesman Paul Donovan said that U.S. regulators, who are reviewing the stent for approval, have already signed off on the quality of the company's work.

"The FDA has reviewed the trial results and the analysis and has validated both," said Paul Donovan in a statement. "While this may be an interesting statistical debate, it has no bearing on the performance." (AP)