Worldwide sales for the year are now expected to range between $6.35 billion and $6.57 billion, or a 13 to 17 percent increase in sales over the prior year. Worldwide drug-eluting stent sales are expected to range between $2.62 and $2.76 billion. Operating income as a percentage of sales is expected to range between 33 and 35 percent. Earnings per share for the year, excluding any net special charges, are expected to range between $1.85 and $2.00, or a 13 to 23 percent increase in EPS over the prior year. The expected earnings for 2005 have been adjusted primarily to take into account four recent acquisitions as well as updated expectations of market share for TAXUS® stent systems on a global basis. The impact on earnings from acquisitions includes operating costs associated with Advanced Stent Technologies, Inc.; CryoVascular Systems, Inc.; Rubicon Medical Corporation; and TriVascular, Inc.
"We are pleased with the performance of the Company during the first five months of the year, particularly our ability to maintain clear leadership in the worldwide drug-eluting stent market," said Jim Tobin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Scientific. "We continue to focus on building the breadth and depth of our technology portfolio across all our businesses. Our goal is to provide our customers with the broadest offering of game-changing technology in the medical device marketplace."
Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. For more information, please visit: www.bostonscientific.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. The Company wishes to caution the reader of this press release that actual results may differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and may be adversely affected by, among other things, risks associated with new product development and introduction, clinical trials, the regulatory approval process, competitive offerings, intellectual property, litigation, the Company's overall business and acquisition strategy, and other factors described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.