NATICK, Mass., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced its official sponsorship of "World Diabetes Day" for the second year in a row. The program is organized by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and represents its primary global awareness campaign in the fight against diabetes.

The IDF is a worldwide alliance of more than 200 diabetes associations in 160 countries who share a mission of enhancing the lives of people with diabetes. It promotes appropriate diabetes care, prevention and the pursuit of a cure through activities such as World Diabetes Day, which will be observed on November 14.

"As a global leader in the medical device industry and a company committed to improving lives, we have a responsibility to support critical health initiatives like World Diabetes Day," said David McFaul, Boston Scientific Senior Vice President, International. "Many of our employees see first hand the devastating impact diabetes can have on patients and their families. We're proud to continue our support of this important campaign with numerous activities planned at Boston Scientific sites around the globe intended to promote diabetes awareness and education."

"We are very pleased to have Boston Scientific again this year as an ambassador of World Diabetes Day," said Mario Fetz, Director of External Relations of the International Diabetes Federation. "As a respected member of the medical technology community, we welcome Boston Scientific's expertise, resources and participation as an Official Partner in the International Diabetes Federation's global campaign for World Diabetes Day. This year the campaign will focus on education and prevention, calling on all those responsible for diabetes care -- governments, health care professionals, people with diabetes and the general public -- to understand diabetes and take control."

Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease, which poses severe risks and costs for people with diabetes, their families and the health care community. The IDF estimates that more than 246 million people worldwide have diabetes, and this number is expected to rise to 380 million within 20 years. The burden on health care systems is substantial, with estimated costs of diabetes-related complications accounting for 5 - 10 percent of total global health care spending. The United Nations has recognized diabetes as a global threat -- the first time for a non-infectious disease.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death and disability in diabetic patients, accounting for some 50 percent of all diabetes fatalities. People with diabetes and coronary artery disease often have poorer outcomes after revascularization procedures (stenting, angioplasty) due to the increased likelihood of blockage due to plaque formation in small, difficult-to-reach vessels.

As part of its support, Boston Scientific will once again participate in the IDF World Diabetes Day Monument Challenge by temporarily illuminating its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts and changing the color of its Internet homepage to blue in recognition of World Diabetes Day on November 14.

Boston Scientific will further support World Diabetes Day with activities at company facilities around the world, including free diabetes screenings for employees and Lunch and Learn Sessions.

The IDF has recognized Boston Scientific's social media initiatives on its World Diabetes Day website. More information can be found directly at the following Twitter, Facebook and YouTube links:

http://www.twitter.com/BostonSciWDD

http:/facebook.com/group.php?gid=145083965612

http://www.youtube.com/BostonScientificWDD

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, www.worlddiabetesday.org and www.idf.org.

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 critical health initiatives and educational activities. 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 hereafter. 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

              Geraldine Varoqui
              Boston Scientific
              Public Relations International
              +49 170 782 85 58
              varoquig@bsci.com

SOURCE: Boston Scientific Corporation

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