Executive Summary

Purchase of German stent technology R&D firm Inflow Dynamics adds iridium oxide passive stent coating technology, which "may offer an attractive alternative for the segment of the international market that does not convert to a drug-eluting stent," the firm says. Clinical trials are ongoing. Announced Dec. 5, the deal also covers roughly 30 patents related to stent designs and coatings. Separately, Boston Scientific completes its purchase of neurovascular device maker Smart Therapeutics Dec. 3 (1"The Gray Sheet" Dec. 17, 2001, p. 23). Boston Scientific also is debuting its Maverick2 Monorail and Quantum Maverickcoronary balloon dilatation catheters in the U.S. The firm highlights the versatility and "pushability" of the low-profile Maverick2 and the Quantum Maverick's deliverable dilation force...