Medical devices giant Boston Scientific has announced that between 200 and 300 temporary employees will not have their current contracts renewed.

The staff, who were recruited to accelerate production of the company's Taxus stent, will be let go over the next four months, according to the company.

Boston Scientific took on more than 400 temporary contract staff to build up stocks of its Taxus stent - a tiny spring-like metal wire mesh tube which is coated with a slow-release drug and is designed to hold open an artery which is used in angioplasty procedures.

Galway, where the stent was designed and developed, is one of two plants worldwide producing the product.

Noel Fogarty, vice-president of operations at Galway, described the Taxus stent as "probably the most important product" to come onstream for cardiology patients in recent times.

Galway and its staff have brought this product to the point where it is a market leader," he said.

"The scale of this was massive and to manage it, and build up the stocks required ahead of launch, we employed a temporary workforce."

A product recall in the middle of 2004 saw the temporary staff retained to replenish stocks for hospital customers.

Mr Fogarty said that up to 200 of the more than 400 people originally hired on temporary contracts had been or would be offered full-time employment with the group.

The decision not to renew contracts was "consistent with strategy which has been clearly and consistently communicated" by the medical devices company, he added.

All the staff involved were "product builders" or assembly line operators.

Boston Scientific employs around 2,400 people at its Galway plants and a further 1,200 at plants in Cork, Tullamore and Letterkenny.