International News In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
France ups Taxus funding: Reimbursement will be extended to "high-risk" patients in France beginning Nov. 30, according toTaxus paclitaxel-eluting stent manufacturer Boston Scientific. Previously, the only patients eligible for reimbursement were diabetic patients and those whose lesions were located in "small vessels," or vessels with a diameter of less than 3 mm. The expanded coverage will provide funding for patients with long lesions (greater than 15 mm in length) and lesions located in the proximal left anterior descending artery. In France patients are considered to be at high-risk if they have a heightened danger of restenosis, Boston Scientific explains. Also, 4 mm diameter Taxus stents now qualify for funding. The announcement was published Nov. 17 in the Official Journal of the French Government...