Boston Scientific CEO Jim Tobin, in a series of addresses, defends his company's decision to spend $27.3 billion on Guidant Inc., warts and all. Defying criticism of the deal, Tobin lays out how Boston Scientific management corrected Guidant's problems--and why the new company will thrive.

While the greater efficacy of drug-eluting stents (DES) compared to bare-metal stents is widely accepted, over the past year, data has continued to build showing that first-generation DES also have a higher late-stage in-stent thrombosis risk, a complication that can cause death 30% of the time, according to some estimates. The findings of these studies had some physicians at this year's World Congress of Cardiology calling for "an immediate halt to DES overuse." However, most conceded that additional randomized trials will be needed to fully understand the potential risks associated with these devices.

Hemoteq's hemocompatible coating for medical devices could help address one of the last remaining concerns about drug-eluting stents: the risk of subacute and late thrombosis. But for a small company to compete in drug-eluting stents isn't easy.