Boston Scientific’s Heart Stent Lifts Stock

Boston Scientific Corp., the world’s No. 3 maker of heart stents, said a new study suggested its drug-coated device keeps arteries open better than one sold by Johnson & Johnson. Shares of Boston Scientific rose 7.5%.

Stents, implanted after artery-clearing procedures, are designed to prevent tissue buildup that causes new clogs. Only 7.9% of patients had cell growth inside or around the edges of Boston Scientific’s Taxus device, researchers said at a medical meeting in Washington.

That compares with the 9% to 12% rate analysts expected and the 8.9% rate Johnson & Johnson reported last year for its Cypher stent.

Shares of Natick, Mass.-based Boston Scientific rose $4.62 to $66.02, and Johnson & Johnson fell 79 cents to $50.84, both on the NYSE.