Although drug-eluting stents were launched in Europe about a year prior to their introduction in the U.S., the market penetration of the devices in Europe is now significantly less than in the U.S. As discussed at the EuroPCR meeting (formerly the Paris Course on Revascularization), held here in mid-May, the slow trend in adoption is mainly attributable to reimbursement policies in a number of countries that cap the amount paid by the national health system at a level below that which would allow hospitals to use drug-eluting stents on all patients.