Patent ID: 8206435

Claim:
An expandable medical device comprising: a substantially cylindrical, expandable medical device having a tissue facing side and a luminal side, and formed of a plurality of struts; a plurality of cylindrical openings in the plurality of struts, the openings extending entirely through the struts from the tissue facing side of the device to the luminal side, with the cylindrical openings having a substantially constant cross section from a radially outermost surface of the strut to a radially innermost surface of the strut; a beneficial agent provided in the plurality of cylindrical openings; and a barrier layer asymmetrically positioned adjacent one of the surfaces of the stent provided in the plurality of cylindrical openings and the barrier layer substantially preventing fluid passage and configured to substantially prevent delivery of the beneficial agent to a first of said sides of the medical device while allowing directional delivery of the beneficial agent to a second of said sides of the medical device so that the majority of the beneficial agent is released from the through openings in a direction opposite the barrier layer when the medical device is placed in a patient.