Method of treating a patient with a coated implantable medical device

1. A method of treating a human or veterinary patient, comprising implanting a vascular stent at a point of treatment within the vascular system of a human or veterinary patient, the vascular stent comprising a surface, a coating layer consisting of a parylene polymer posited on the surface of the vascular stent, a layer comprising an immunosuppressive agent posited on at least a portion of the coating layer, and a porous layer comprising a second polymer overlaying the layer comprising the immunosuppressive agent.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the vascular stent comprises stainless steel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein about 0.01 mg to about 10 mg of the immunosuppressive agent is present per cm 2 of the gross surface area of the vascular stent.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein about 0.1 mg to about 4 mg of the immunosuppressive agent is present per cm 2 of the gross surface area of the vascular stent.

5. A method of inhibiting restenosis in a blood vessel, comprising deploying a vascular stent in a blood vessel, the vascular stent comprising a surface, a coating layer consisting of a parylene or a parylene derivative polymer posited on the surface of the vascular stent, a layer comprising an immunosuppressive agent posited on at least a portion of the coating layer, and a porous layer comprising a second polymer overlaying the layer comprising the immunosuppressive agent and having a thickness adequate to provide a controlled release of the immunosuppressive agent.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the coating layer consists of the parylene derivative polymer.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein about 0.01 mg to about 10 mg of the immunosuppressive agent is present per cm 2 of the gross surface area of the vascular stent.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein about 0.1 mg to about 4 mg of the immunosuppressive agent is present per cm 2 of the gross surface area of the vascular stent.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the porous layer provides for a controlled release of the immunosuppressive agent through the porous layer.

10. A method of treating a human or veterinary patient, comprising implanting a vascular stent at a point of treatment within the vascular system of a human or veterinary patient, the vascular stent comprising a surface, a coating layer consisting of parylene or a parylene derivative polymer posited on the surface of the vascular stent, a layer comprising a second polymer attached to an immunosuppressive agent, and a porous layer comprising a third polymer overlaying the layer comprising the immunosuppressive agent and having a thickness adequate to provide a controlled release of the immunosuppressive agent.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the coating layer consists of the parylene derivative polymer.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the porous layer consists of the third polymer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating layer has a thickness of about 50,000 to 500,000 Angstroms.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the porous layer has a thickness of about 5,000 to 250,000 Angstroms.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein 0.1 mg to 4 mg of the immunosuppressive agent is present per cm 2 of gross surface area of the vascular stent.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coating layer has a thickness of about 50,000 to 500,000 Angstroms;

the layer comprising the immunosuppressive agent contains a total of about 0.1 mg to 4 mg of immunosuppressive agent per cm 2 of the gross surface area of the vascular stent and the porous layer has a thickness of about 5,000 to 250,000 Angstroms; and

the vascular stent is about 10 mm to about 60 mm in length and is designed to expand to a diameter of about 2 mm to about 6 mm.