NATICK, Mass., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced that it has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market its Liberte™ bare-metal coronary stent system. The Company plans to launch the product next month, after it is approved for reimbursement.

"The approval of our Liberte bare-metal stent system represents an important step in the evolution of our drug-eluting stent program in Japan," said Paul LaViolette, Boston Scientific Chief Operating Officer. "As the second-generation platform for our TAXUS® stent system, the Liberte stent offers physicians a state-of-the-art bare-metal stent with enhanced deliverability and conformability. We look forward to Japanese approval of our TAXUS® Express2™ stent in mid-2007."

The Liberte stent has proprietary geometry, thin struts and a very low delivery profile designed to provide physicians enhanced lesion access in challenging anatomy.

The Company received the CE Mark for the TAXUS Liberte stent in Europe and other international markets in September 2005, and it is currently the market- leading drug-eluting stent outside the United States in markets where it competes. The TAXUS Express2 stent system and TAXUS Liberte stent system are not available for sale in Japan. The TAXUS Liberte stent is currently pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not available for sale in the United States. The Company plans to launch the TAXUS Liberte stent in the United States in 2007. The Company received the CE Mark for its everolimus-eluting PROMUS stent in October 2006 and plans to launch the PROMUS stent in Europe in early 2007, making Boston Scientific the only company to offer two distinct drug-eluting stent platforms. The PROMUS stent, a private- label XIENCE™ V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System, is manufactured by Abbott and distributed by Boston Scientific. The PROMUS stent is not available for sale in the United States.

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: http://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 clinical trials, the regulatory approval process, reimbursement policies, commercialization of new technologies, litigation, the Company's overall business strategy and other factors described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

   CONTACT:  Dan Brennan
             508-650-8538 (office)
             617-459-2703 (mobile)
             Investor Relations
             Boston Scientific Corporation

             Paul Donovan
             508-650-8541 (office)
             508-667-5165 (mobile)
             Media Relations
             Boston Scientific Corporation

SOURCE: Boston Scientific Corporation

CONTACT: Dan Brennan, Investor Relations, +1-508-650-8538 (office),
+1-617-459-2703 (mobile), or Paul Donovan, Media Relations, +1-508-650-8541
(office), +1-508-667-5165 (mobile), both of Boston Scientific Corporation

Web site: http://www.bostonscientific.com/