A Medical Device Daily

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver) on Tuesday reported that it and Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts), its corporate partner in the drug-eluting stent sector, have initiated legal proceedings in the Netherlands against Conor Medsystems (Menlo Park, California).

Angiotech said that on Jan. 24, the European Patent Office maintained the validity of Angiotech's patent No. EP 0 706 376 with various claims, including claims to stents coated with paclitaxel and a polymeric carrier.

Angiotech is a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on drug-eluting medical devices and biomaterials through the innovative uses of pharmacotherapeutics.

Boston Scientific is a leader in the endovascular sector of heart therapy.

Conor is focused on the development of the Costar stent, a cobalt chromium paclitaxel-eluting stent, for the treatment of restenosis. Conor also is investigating the potential applicability of its stent technology to the treatment of an acute myocardial infarction.