Boston Scientific's Stent Sales Fall

Boston Scientific Corp. said fourth-quarter sales of its Taxus drug-coated stent fell nearly 12 percent from the previous quarter, but the medical device maker expects the slumping stent market to rebound from recent safety worries.

Boston Scientific said sales of the Taxus stent will total about $506 million in the fourth quarter down 12 percent from the third quarter's $572 million and down 17 percent from the fourth quarter of 2005, when sales were $606 million.

After completing its $27 billion acquisition of Guidant Corp. in April, Natick-based Boston Scientific has struggled to overcome downturns in its two key heart device markets.

Drug-coated stent sales have fallen off amid recent concerns that the devices may put patients at slightly higher risk for blood clots than older bare-metal stents. And sales of the implanted defibrillators Boston Scientific acquired in the Guidant deal have been hurt by recalls and safety warnings of Guidant products.