fig3 is a partial cross - sectional view of implantable medical device 11 , which may be a stent or graft , among other possibilities . medical device 11 includes a substrate 12 . a first layer 24 is present on the outer surface of substrate 12 . first layer 24 includes a polymer and one or more drugs 16 carried within the polymer . first layer 24 can have a thickness ranging from about 2 , 000 angstroms to about 200 , 000 angstroms , or more particularly from about 10 , 000 angstroms to about 100 , 000 angstroms . barrier 28 is present as a homogenous layer on the top surface of first layer 24 . barrier 28 is biocompatible , and typically has a thickness ranging from about 50 angstroms to about 20 , 000 angstroms , e . g ., from about 100 angstroms to about 5 , 000 angstroms . in this embodiment , barrier 28 is an inorganic material . barrier 28 acts to reduce the rate of delivery of drug 16 to internal target tissue area 50 by at least one of two mechanisms . first , the solubility of drug 16 in barrier 28 is substantially less ( i . e ., at least two to three orders of magnitude less ) than the solubility of drug 16 in first layer 24 . likewise , the diffusivity of drug 16 in barrier 28 is significantly lower than the diffusivity of drug 16 in first layer 24 . accordingly , drug 16 will diffuse more slowly through barrier 28 than through first layer 24 . secondly , barrier 28 , being mostly an inorganic material , is composed of much smaller molecules than those found within the polymer in first layer 24 . the barrier molecules are aligned more tightly and in a more orderly fashion than the polymer molecules , thereby leaving less void space through which drug 16 can travel . some barriers , especially defect - free metallic films and sio x films , will be very impermeable , except for microfractures through the barrier coating . while these microfractures may link the top and bottom of the barrier coating , the paths of the microfractures linking the top and bottom of the barrier coating are tortuous , and thus the path that drug 16 must take to exit medical device 11 is much longer than the thickness of barrier 28 . moreover , since the drug is restricted to diffusing only through the microfractures , the area available for diffusion is greatly reduced as well . a simple model for the embodiment illustrated in fig3 holds that the rate of release of drug 16 from barrier 28 per unit area may be expressed by the following equation : release ⁢ ⁢ rate = d 1 ⁢ k t 1 ⁢ c p o ⁢ exp ⁢ { - d 1 ⁢ kt t p ⁢ t 1 } ( equation ⁢ ⁢ 2 ) where d 1 = diffusivity of drug 16 in barrier 28 ; k = partition coefficient for drug 16 between first layer 24 and barrier 28 ; t 1 = thickness of barrier 28 ; cp o = initial concentration of drug 16 in barrier 28 ; and tp = thickness of first layer 24 . this equation assumes that all of the resistance to drug release is in the barrier 28 . this is a reasonable assumption since , typically , d 1 is at least two to three orders of magnitude lower than the diffusivity of drug 16 in first layer 24 . as can be seen from equation 2 , variables d 1 , k , and t 1 , are the most significant variables affecting drug release . of course , the present invention does not depend on this equation or the assumptions discussed above . suitable inorganic materials for barrier 28 include , but are not limited to , silicides , oxides , nitrides , and carbides . suitable silicides may include suicides of vanadium , zirconium , tungsten , titanium , niobium , and tantalum . suitable oxides may include oxides of aluminum , barium , calcium , hafnium , niobium , silicon , tantalum , titanium , tungsten , and zirconium . suitable nitrides may include nitrides of chromium , silicon , titanium , and zirconium . suitable carbides may include carbides of silicon and titanium . other suitable materials may include molybdenum disulfide , amorphous diamond , diamond - like carbon , pyrolytic carbon , ultra - low temperature isotropic ( ulti ) carbon , amorphous carbon , strontium titanate , and barium titanate . also suitable for use are pure metals , such as aluminum , chromium , gold , hafnium , iridium , niobium , palladium , platinum , tantalum , titanium , tungsten , zirconium , and alloys of these metals . several methods may be used to deposit barrier 28 on first layer 24 , depending on the application . for example , silicide compounds , such as vanadium disilicide , zirconium disilicide , tungsten disilicide , titanium disilicide , niobium disilicide , tantalum disilicide , vanadium silicide , titanium trisilicide , and tantalum trisilicide may be deposited by sputtering or chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ). oxide barrier coatings , such as tantalum oxide , titanium dioxide , zirconium oxide , niobium oxide , tungsten oxide , aluminum oxide , and silicon dioxide can be produced by reactive sputtering . the power source used in this method may be ac or dc , and utilizes the pureelement as a target with a sputter gas of argon and low levels of oxygen . nitride barrier coatings , such as titanium nitride , titanium carbonitride , chromium nitride , titanium aluminum nitride , and zirconium nitride can be deposited on first layer 24 at relatively low temperatures ( i . e ., less than 60 ° c .) by cathodic arc vacuum deposition . such a method may be chosen where first layer 24 and drug 16 are temperature - sensitive . films of pure metals ( e . g ., aluminum , gold , tungsten , platinum ) may be produced by physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) methods such as sputtering , thermal evaporation , or electron beam evaporation . alloys of these metals can be deposited by sputtering if , for example , an alloy sputtering target is used or multiple metal targets are simultaneously sputtered . alloys may also be deposited utilizing thermal evaporation or electron beam evaporation if several evaporation sources are used simultaneously . suitable polymer materials for first layer 24 can include , but are not limited to , polyurethanes , polyesterurethanes , silicone , fluoropolymers , ethylene vinyl acetate , polyethylene , polypropylene , polycarbonates , trimethylenecarbonate , polyphosphazene , polyhydroxybutyrate , polyhydroxyvalerate , polydioxanone , polyiminocarbonates , polyorthoesters , ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer , l - polylactide , d , l - polylactide , polyglycolide , polycaprolactone , copolymers of lactide and glycolide , polymethylmethlacrylate , poly ( n - butyl ) methacrylate , polyacrylates , polymethacrylates , elastomers , and mixtures thereof . representative elastomers include , but are not limited to , a thermoplastic elastomer material available under the trade name “ c - flex ” from concept polymer technologies of largo , fla ., polyetheramide thermoplastic elastomer , fluoroelastomers , fluorosilicone elastomer , sytrene - butadiene rubber , butadiene - styrene rubber , polyisoprene , neoprene ( polychloroprene ), ethylene - propylene elastomer , chloro - sulfonated polyethylene elastomer , butyl rubber , polysulfide elastomer , polyacrylate elastomer , nitrile , rubber , polyester , styrene , ethylene , propylene , butadiene and isoprene , polyester thermoplastic elastomer , and mixtures thereof . the choice of the polymer in first layer 24 typically depends on the selection of the particular drug 16 . for a drug 16 that is to be dissolved in the polymer , the factors to be considered in selecting an appropriate polymer include the molecular structure of both the polymer and the drug , the crystallinity or amorphousness of the polymer , the molecular weight of the drug ( which is indicative of its size on a molecular level ), and the solubility of the drug in the polymer . examples of drug / polymer pairings include dexamethasone in silicone or polyurethanes or fluoroelastomer ; taxol in ethylene vinyl acetate or l - polylactide or polycaprolactone or polyurethanes ; rapamycin in polymethylmethacrylate or poly ( n - butyl ) methacrylate ; tranilast in polyurethanes or ethylene vinyl acetate ; and fluorouracil in polyurethanes . examples of drug 16 include antineoplastic , antimitotic , antiinflammatory , antiplatelet , anticoagulant , antifibrin , antithrombin , antiproliferative , antibiotic , antioxidant , and antiallergic substances as well as combinations thereof . examples of such antineoplastics and / or antimitotics include paclitaxel ( e . g ., taxol ® by bristol - myers squibb co ., stamford , conn . ), docetaxel ( e . g ., taxotere ® from aventis s . a ., frankfurt , germany ), methotrexate , azathioprine , vincristine , vinblastine , fluorouracil , doxorubicin hydrochloride ( e . g ., adriamycin ® from pharmacia & amp ; upjohn , peapack , n . j . ), and mitomycin ( e . g ., mutamycin ® from bristol - myers squibb co ., stamford , conn .). examples of such antiinflammatory substances include estradiol . examples of such antiplatelets , anticoagulants , antifibrin , and antithrombins include sodium heparin , low molecular weight heparins , heparinoids , hirudin , argatroban , forskolin , vapiprost , prostacyclin and prostacyclin analogs , dextran , d - phe - pro - arg - chloromethylketone ( synthetic antithrombin ), dipyridamole , glycoprotein iib / iiia platelet membrane receptor antagonist antibody , recombinant hirudin , and thrombin inhibitors such as angiomax ™ ( biogen , inc ., cambridge , mass .). examples of such antiallergic substances include permirolast potassium and tranilast . examples of such cytostatic or antiproliferative agents include actinomycin d as well as derivatives and analogs thereof ( manufactured by sigma - aldrich , milwaukee , wis . ; or cosmegen ® available from merck & amp ; co ., inc ., whitehouse station , n . j . ), angiopeptin , mitomycin , angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors such as captopril ( e . g ., capoten ® and capozide ® from bristol - myers squibb co ., stamford , conn . ), cilazapril or lisinopril ( e . g ., prinivil ® and prinzide ® from merck & amp ; co ., inc ., whitehouse station , n . j . ), calcium channel blockers ( such as nifedipine ), colchicine , fibrolast growth factor ( fgf ) antagonists , fish oil ( omega 3 - fatty acid ), histamine antagonists , lovastatin ( an inhibitor of hmb - coa reductase , a cholesterol lowering drug , brand name mevacor ® from merck & amp ; co ., inc ., whitehouse station , n . j . ), monoclonal antibodies ( such as those specific for platelet - derived growth factor ( pdgf ) receptors ), nitroprusside , phosphodiesterase inhibitors , prostaglandin inhibitors , suramin , serotonin blockers , steroids , thioprotease inhibitors , triazolopyrimidine ( a pdgf antagonist ), and nitric oxide . other drugs or agents that may be used include , for example , alpha - interferon , genetically engineered epithelial cells , and dexamethasone . while the preventative and treatment properties of the foregoing drugs or agents are well - known to those of ordinary skill in the art , the substances or agents are provided by way of example and are not meant to be limiting . other drugs that may be carried in a polymer coating are equally applicable for use with the present invention . according to the present invention , the release rate of the drug typically will be controlled in part by the material selected for the barrier . for instance , the barrier material may be an inorganic compound , which is typically polar or ionic in nature . generally , if the selected drug 16 is likewise polar or ionic in nature ( e . g ., cisplatin , fluoracil ), then the solubility of drug 16 in barrier 28 will be higher , resulting in a higher diffusivity , and thus a faster rate of delivery of drug 16 through barrier 28 to internal target tissue area 50 . conversely , if the selected drug 16 is nonpolar , ( e . g ., taxol ®, dexamethasone ), then the solubility of drug 16 in barrier 28 will be lower , resulting in a lower diffusivity , and thus a lower rate of delivery of drug 16 through barrier 28 to internal target tissue area 50 . however , this is not always the case . titanium dioxide is a polar inorganic compound , but it has such a high degree of crystallinity , and an affinity for itself that other polar compounds ( e . g ., the drug to be delivered ) do not necessarily dissolve into titanium dioxide very well . fig4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention , wherein barrier 28 is composed of a number of discrete deposits above first layer 24 . when using certain deposition methods , the first few atoms or molecules of barrier 28 deposited on first layer 24 form small “ nucleation sites ,” 30 on the surface 29 of first layer 24 . barrier 28 may be made discontinuous by arresting the deposition process at the nucleation stage , as illustrated in fig4 . however , if the deposition is allowed to continue , nucleation sites 30 expand in surface area and eventually coalesce into a continuous film , as barrier 28 is illustrated in fig3 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , the rate of drug delivery from first layer 24 to internal tissue target area 50 is reduced primarily by the presence of nucleation sites 30 . nucleation sites 30 reduce the surface area available for drug 16 to diffuse from first layer 24 toward the internal tissue target area 50 , because the vast majority of drug 16 will preferentially diffuse between nucleation sites 30 at spaces 32 . while drug 16 may diffuse through nucleation sites 30 , it will do so at a much slower rate . drug 16 situated beneath nucleation site 30 will not proceed directly to tissue 50 through nucleation site 30 , but will instead be directed by the diffusion gradient formed toward a space 32 . nucleation sites 30 thus may also increase the length and tortuosity of the average diffusion path taken by molecules of drug 16 , again resulting in a slower rate of diffusion of drug 16 from first layer 24 . the release rate associated with the embodiment of fig4 may be generally described by the following equation : equation 3 assumes that there is no diffusion through nucleation sites 30 . again , this equation is provided as an explanatory aid , and does not in any way limit the invention . advantageously , in this embodiment , the rate of drug delivery ( and thus , the effective treatment time ) may be manipulated by controlling the number of nucleation sites 30 that are permitted to form on surface 29 of first layer 24 . the number of nucleation sites may be controlled by controlling various deposition process parameters , such as deposition rate , substrate temperature , energy of the deposited atoms , substrate surface cleanliness and defects , angle of the incident atom flux , and substrate surface roughness . the embodiment illustrated in fig4 may be achieved by performing deposition processes that deposit layers of material by way of nucleation , such as cathodic arc sputtering , reactive sputtering , thermal evaporation and electron beam ( e - beam ) evaporation of materials such as gold , palladium , and aluminum . the embodiment illustrated in fig4 may also be achieved by depositing a continuous film , and then creating holes in that film . for example , metal films can be deposited with differing amounts of grain structure . an etching chemical ( e . g ., typically mixtures of mineral acids ) may be used to preferentially etch between grains and remove some of the metal film . alternately , a continuous film could be deposited , and holes made in that continuous film by , for example , ion milling , a laser , or electron beam machining . another method for achieving this embodiment would be deposition of a continuous film , followed by mechanically stressing the film , so that the continuous film fractures at preselected locations . fig6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention , wherein first layer 24 , and the barrier coating are not two discrete layers instead , the interface between first layer 24 and barrier 40 is irregular , because barrier 40 is blended with first layer 24 to form an intermixed zone 42 at and near the top surface of first layer 24 . intermixing of the barrier 40 with first layer 24 may result when barrier 40 is deposited using one of several methods , whereby the deposited inorganic materials actually penetrate into first layer 24 , rather than merely adhering to the surface of first layer 24 . these methods include , for example , ion implantation , plasma ion implantation , alkoxide hydrolysis , and electroless deposition . intermixed zone 42 may include isolated bodies 43 of barrier material formed within first layer 24 and / or fingers 45 of barrier coating material extending into first layer 24 . the rate of drug delivery from first layer 24 to internal target tissue area 50 may be reduced in large part by at least two mechanisms in this embodiment . first , if drug 16 diffuses through the barrier material in intermixed zone 42 , then drug 16 may have to follow a more tortuous diffusion path than drug 16 would otherwise follow , decreasing the diffusion rate . second , if the barrier material in intermixed zone 42 acts as a complete barrier to diffusion , then the area normal to the direction of diffusion is significantly reduced , thus reducing the diffusion rate , in a manner similar to the nucleation sites in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 . meaningful quantitative or semiquantitative descriptions of drug release rates from the embodiment illustrated in fig6 are difficult to provide , since the geometry of the intermixed zone 42 is highly variable . however , it can be stated that , regardless of the geometry of the intermixed zone , the rate of release of drug 16 from first layer 24 will be significantly reduced . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that , for all of the embodiments described herein , the thickness of the barrier used may be varied , with a corresponding change in the drug release rate . generally , the thicker the barrier , the greater the reduction in the drug release rate . however , there is a practical limit on the thickness of the barrier to be applied to first layer 24 . if the barrier becomes too thick , then , when subjected to stress from mechanical flexing or changes in temperature , internal stresses will build up within the barrier . when these internal stresses exceed the adhesion between the barrier and the underlying film , the barrier may fracture throughout . small pieces of the barrier may then be lifted off from first layer 24 . the pieces could enter the lumen of a blood vessel , and act as an embolus , with potentially very harmful effects on the patient . use of sio , film as a barrier coating to reduce the rate of release of nitric oxide from a polymer coated medical device healthy endothelial cells located along the intima ( the innermost layer of cells lining the blood vessels ) produce a nearly constant supply of nitric oxide . nitric oxide molecules signal the surrounding smooth muscle cells . we currently believe nitric oxide molecules also prevent the smooth muscle cells from migrating and / or proliferating , which , it is postulated , would reduce the incidence of restenosis following ptca . to be effective in local delivery , nitric oxide would ideally be released over a period of weeks ( e . g ., four to eight weeks , generally , and in some cases , up to twelve weeks , depending on the patient ). in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , a homogeneous film of non - stoichiometric silicon dioxide ( known as si0 x is deposited as barrier coating 28 on first layer 24 . first layer 24 contains drug 16 , which in this case is nitric oxide or a molecule which releases nitric oxide . experimental data collected by others has shown that a polycarbonate film having an average molecular weight in the range of 20 , 000 to 40 , 000 g / mole has an oxygen ( 02 ) transmission rate of 1000 cm 3 / m 2 - atm - day . see , erlat , et al ., “ morphology and gas barrier properties of thin sio x coatings on polycarbonate : correlations with plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition conditions ,” j . mater . res ., vol . 15 , no . 3 , march 2000 . by depositing a sio x coating having a thickness of approximately 30 nanometers ( nm ) on the polycarbonate , using plasma - enhanced chemical vapor deposition , the oxygen transmission rate was reduced by one order of magnitude to approximately 100 cm 3 / m 2 - atm - day . by increasing the thickness of the sio x coating deposited to 60 nanometers , the oxygen transmission rate was further reduced by another order of magnitude , to approximately 10 cm 3 / m 2 - atm - day . a less dramatic reduction in oxygen transmission was observed with further increases in sio , coating thickness . since oxygen ( o 2 ) and nitric oxide ( no ) are similar to each other in size and molecular weight , we anticipate that an implanted medical device ( e . g ., a stent or graft ) having a sio x layer provided atop a polymeric coating containing nitric oxide would cause a similar reduction in the rate at which nitric oxide is released from the polymeric material into a target tissue area . that is , the release rate of nitric oxide from the polymeric carrier could be reduced by a factor of 10 by depositing a sio x coating that is 30 nanometers thick on the polymeric carrier , and reduced by a factor of 100 by depositing a sio x coating 60 nanometers thick on the polymeric carrier . as a result , for a given mass of nitric oxide loaded into the polymer carrier , the period of time over which nitric oxide is released could be extended by factors of 10 and 100 , respectively . accordingly , the implantable medical device having such a polymer coating and barrier coating would be useful in providing localized drug delivery for an extended period to a patient after ptca . use of discontinuous barrier coating to reduce the rate of release of dexamethasone from a silicone polymer line a of fig5 illustrates the release of dexamethasone acetate ( c 22 h 29 f 05 ), a synthetic steroid used as an anti - inflammatory agent , from collars made from a silicone polymer over a period of 25 days when the polymeric collars were immersed in saline solution at a temperature of 37 ° c . each polymeric collar was loaded with approximately 0 . 25 mg of dexamethasone acetate . a total of twenty polymeric collars were tested , and the averaged results are shown . after 25 days , a total of 0 . 018 mg of dexamethesone had been released , on average , from each polymeric collar . assuming nucleation sites 30 of a barrier material were deposited on the silicone polymer in a manner similar to that illustrated in fig4 , so as to cover 50 % of the available surface area , then the release rate would be reduced by 50 %, with the result that the drug release curve would be predicted to appear as shown by line b of fig5 . that is , after 25 days , an average of 0 . 009 mg of dexamethasone would be released . advantageously , the reduction in the drug release rate by 50 % essentially means that the drug would be locally delivered to the body for a period of time twice as long , significantly extending the time of drug release . similarly , the process parameters could be controlled so that nucleation sites 30 cover 75 % of surface 29 of first layer 24 ( which fig4 approximates ). this would result in a drug delivery rate that is approximately 25 % lower than that associated with the homogeneous film embodiment illustrated in fig3 . method for producing a titanium oxide barrier coating on a polymer - coated medical device by alkoxide hydrolysis one method by which the embodiment illustrated in fig6 may be produced is alkoxide hydrolysis . if an implantable medical device having a first layer 24 is exposed to a humid environment and then immersed in a metal alkoxide solution , within seconds , metal oxide will be formed at or near the top surface of first layer 24 by reaction of the alkoxide with the water in the polymer coating . as long as the polymer contains some moisture ( e . g ., at least 1 % by weight ), the reaction can go forward . examples of suitable metal alkoxides include titanium ethoxide and titanium propoxide . a solution of titanium ethoxide is created in dry ethanol at concentrations from about 0 . 1 % to 10 %. a polymer coated stent is exposed to an environment with controlled relative humidity between 20 % and 100 % for between 0 . 5 and 60 minutes . the stent is then immersed in the alkoxide solution for between 1 and 60 seconds , and then removed . the excess alkoxide solution is rinsed off using ethanol or water . the stent is then dried in a suitable environment ( temperature from 20 ° to 70 ° c . for 1 to 60 minutes ). methods for producing barrier coatings on a polymer by electroless plating another method by which the embodiments illustrated in fig3 and 6 may be produced is reductive deposition in solution , or electroless plating of a material onto a polymer coated surface of an implantable medical device . electroless plating uses a chemical reduction reaction to deposit metal on a substrate without the passage of an electric current . nonconductive substrates , such as polymers , are readily plated by this method if the polymer is first catalytically activated . the polymer may be catalytically activated by , for example , immersing it in a colloidal solution containing palladium . this colloidal solution provides nucleation sites of palladium ( in this instance ) on the polymer prior to electroless deposition of the metal . certain polymers require an etching step before activation . biocompatible inorganic barriers that may be deposited by electroless deposition include palladium ( pd ) and gold ( au ). reducing agents for palladium include hypophosphite , amineborane , and hydrazine . reducing agents for gold include borohydride , amineborane , and hydrazine . the principal reactions that are believed to occur during electroless palladium plating , using hypophosphite as a reducing agent in one commercial application , are shown below . 2h 2 − po 2 + 2h 2 o → 2hpo 3 − 2 + 4h + + 2h ( 1 ) “ training course in electroplating and surface finishing ,” © 1998 by american electroplaters and surface finishers society , inc ., aesf , 12644 research parkway , orlando , fla . 32826 - 3298 . according to the authors , the hypophosphite ion is thought of as being catalytically oxidized ( dehydrogenated ) on the surface to be plated to release hydride ions ( h —) which are then available for reduction of palladium ions at the surface . the products of the reactions are thus the palladium - phosphorus deposit , phosphite ions , hydrogen ions , and hydrogen gas . the phosphorus may be codeposited with palladium to the extent of 1 to 15 percent by weight by a mechanism shown in reaction ( 3 ) above . for example , to provide a palladium barrier coating , an implantable medical device having a polymer coating with a finely etched surface is immersed in an aqueous solution of 5 g / l snc 12 and 5 ml / l hcl for a period of about 5 minutes at 35 ° c . the implantable medical device is then immersed in a plating solution at a temperature of 50 ° c ., the plating solution including 2 g / l of palladium chloride , 160 ml / l of ammonium hydroxide ( 27 %), 26 g / l of ammonium chloride , and 10 g / l of sodium hypopphosphite . to provide a gold barrier coating , an implantable medical device having a polymer coating with a finely etched surface is immersed in an aqueous solution of 5 g / l sncl 2 and 5 ml / l hcl for a period of about 5 minutes at 35 ° c . the implantable medical device is then immersed in a plating solution at a temperature of 75 ° c ., the plating solution including 5 . 8 g / l of potassium gold cyanide , 13 . 0 g / l of potassium cyanide , and 21 . 6 g / l of potassium borohydride . codeposition of phosphorus and boron may occur in the electroless plating process givenabove . in another process which is commercially available , a proprietary reducing reagent is used that yields an electroless deposit of pure palladium that is free of phosphorus or boron . the process is known as the pallatect ™ process , and is available from atotech usa , inc . of somerset , n . j . this process reportedly involves the steps of acid cleaning , microetching , activation , and electroless deposition of palladium . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , various changes and modifications can be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects . for instance , while we have discussed the invention in conjunction with stents and grafts , artisans will appreciate that the invention may be used with any implantable medical device that can be used in conjunction with a drug - loaded polymer for localized drug delivery . for example , such barrier coatings may be applied to drug - loaded polymer coatings on catheters , cerebrospinal fluid shunts , drug delivery pacemaker leads , defibrillation electrodes , artificial hips and bones , breast implants , and other implanted devices . therefore , the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention .
a drug eluting stent is disclosed . the stent includes a stent base ; a basecoat formulation comprising sirolimus in a polymer coating , wherein the polymer coating contains ethylene - co - vinyl acetate and poly - n - butyl methacrylate ; and a topcoat disposed on the basecoat formulation .