NATICK, Mass., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation today welcomed passage of the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009 by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Lois Capps (D-California) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Michigan), will help evaluate the current state of chronic pain care in the United States.

A companion to the House bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) on March 19.

Both bills expand research by the Pain Consortium at the National Institutes of Health on the causes and potential treatments for pain, provide greater education and training for health care professionals, create a national pain management public awareness campaign, and call on the Institute of Medicine to convene a conference on pain care.

"These bills are important to pain patients and the health care professionals who serve them," said Ramsin Benyamin, MD, DABIPP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Illinois. "As a pain physician, I applaud Congress for advancing the understanding of chronic pain and its debilitating effect on millions of patients."

"We are very pleased that the House of Representatives passed the National Pain Care Policy Act, acknowledging the importance of proper pain care," said Michael Onuscheck, President of Boston Scientific's Neuromodulation business. "As a leader in this industry, Boston Scientific believes it is critical to improve care for pain patients. We hope that the swift passage by the House will send a strong message to the Senate of the importance of passing this legislation, and we will continue to work to achieve that goal for the millions suffering from chronic pain."

Chronic pain affects an estimated 75 million Americans and presents a major challenge for the U.S. health care system.

About Boston Scientific

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.

About Boston Scientific Neuromodulation

Boston Scientific Neuromodulation is an innovation leader in implantable pain management technology. The use of pulses of electricity delivered directly to the nerves, known as Spinal Cord Stimulation, has been in use for more than 30 years without the unwanted side effects and long-term costs associated with pain medications. Spinal Cord Stimulation is a reversible therapy that has helped thousands of people find relief from chronic pain.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our product performance, regulatory approval of our products, our growth strategy, and our market position. If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and, future business decisions made by us and our competitors. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file thereafter. We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

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

              Larry Neumann
              508-650-8696 (office)
              Investor Relations
              Boston Scientific Corporation

SOURCE: Boston Scientific Corporation

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