Medtronic, the world’s biggest maker of heart-rhythm devices, said first-quarter profit climbed 5.2% as doctors embraced the company’s newest drug-coated stent to prop open clogged arteries.

Boston Scientific Corp will reserve most of the $1 billion (€760 million) in free cash it expects to generate in 2012 for acquisitions, with plans to use 25% to buy back shares, chief financial officer Jeff Capello said.