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 the macrocyclic
triene immunosuppressive compound everolimus. 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.