Abstract: A delivery system includes a catheter, and a drug coated angioplasty balloon mounted on the catheter. The balloon has a wrapped or folded delivery configuration and an expanded deployed configuration. A protective sleeve surrounds the drug coated balloon in the delivery configuration to minimise wash-off of drug from the balloon during delivery. The protective sleeve is retractable, so that once the drug coated balloon is at or near the treatment site, the sleeve can be retracted to allow the drug coated balloon to operate effectively. The protective sleeve can have a spacer mounted to or integral with the protective sleeve. The spacer in one case can comprise of interior ribs or ridges on the sleeve which minimise the surface area of the sleeve in direct contact with the drug coating on the balloon.