NATICK, Mass., June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today welcomed approval by the U.S. House of Representatives of the America Invents Act of 2011.  The legislation, introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is a bipartisan bill intended to modernize the U.S. patent system.  The Senate passed similar legislation in March.  The Company issued the following statement in response to House approval:

"As a worldwide developer of medical devices, whose advanced technologies are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties, we value an effective and efficient patent system that can keep pace with the rapid innovation demonstrated by our company and industry.  Patients around the world benefit from our life-saving products, and they are worthy of a modern patent system that will protect intellectual property while advancing the development of new medical technology.

"As one of the largest patent holders in America, we have directly experienced the challenges facing our current system.  The America Invents Act is critical to ensure the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has the available resources to upgrade procedures within our system, review applications in a timely manner and provide the means to strengthen protections on issued patents.  

"We applaud the strong, bi-partisan vote in favor of this important bill, and are confident that House and Senate negotiators can move quickly to resolve differences between the two bills and pass final legislation that will allow innovation to thrive in America."  

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.  

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and 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 technology, intellectual property and patent portfolio, new product launch cadence, product performance and competitive offerings.  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.

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation