An intravascular stent and method for inhibiting restenosis, following vascular
injury, is disclosed. The stent has an expandable, linked-filament body and a drug-release
coating formed on the stent-body filaments, for contacting the vessel injury site
when the stent is placed in-situ in an expanded condition. The coating releases,
for a period of at least 4 weeks, a restenosis-inhibiting amount of a monocyclic
triene immunosuppressive compound having an alkyl group substituent at carbon position
40 in the compound. The stent, when used to treat a vascular injury, gives
good protection against clinical restenosis, even when the extent of vascular injury
involves vessel overstretching by more than 30% diameter. Also disclosed is a stent
having a drug-release coating composed of (i) 10 and 60 weight percent poly-dl-lactide
polymer substrate and (ii) 40-90 weight percent of an anti-restenosis compound,
and a polymer undercoat having a thickness of between 1-5 microns.