Patent ID: 8173199

Claim:
A method of treating a coating, including a polymer, on a stent to reduce the rate of release of 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin from the coating, comprising: exposing the coating to a temperature, between the glass transition temperature and the melting temperature of the polymer, that causes modifications in the structure of the polymer which allows for the reduction of the release rate of the 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin through the polymer, wherein the amount of the 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin-released in 24 hours after the implantation of the stent in a blood vessel of a human being is less than about 50% of the total amount of 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin contained in the coating; and maintaining the peak purity of the 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin to greater than 90%.