Drug-eluting stent coatings.

This paper reviews the development of coronary stents from a polymer scientist's view point, and presents the first results of an interdisciplinary team assembled for the development of new stent systems. Poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) block copolymer (SIBS), a nanostructured thermoplastic elastomer, is used in clinical practice as the drug-eluting polymeric coating on the Taxus coronary stent (trademark of Boston Scientific Co.).