Boston Scientific closes acquisition of TAVI device company, Symetis

On March 30, 2017, Boston Scientific announced an agreement to acquire Symetis SA, a privately-held Swiss company focused on minimally-invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) devices, for $435 million in cash.

The acquisition expands Boston Scientific’s structural heart portfolio and Symetis will join the Boston Scientific Interventional Cardiology division. According to the press release, Boston Scientific will begin selling the ACURATE TA™ and ACURATE neo™/TF™ valve systems in Europe and in other geographies outside of the United States.

ACURATE valves are marketed as replacement valves delivered via a transcatheter percutaneous delivery system.  As noted in the press release, the ACURATE valves along with Boston Scientific’s LOTUS Valve System platform “are designed to treat patients suffering from severe and symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, who are considered at high risk for surgical valve replacement.” As stated on the Symetis website with reference to the ACURATE TA™ valve system

“[t]he most distinctive aspects of the bioprosthesis design are the self-seating and self-sealing features that allow for optimal positioning of the valve, promote sealing, and reduce paravalvular leak. Combined with the two-step deployment technique of the delivery system, these properties provide outstanding ease-of-use throughout the procedure.”

The ACURATE neo™/TF™ valve system is described as including the same self-seating and self-sealing features and stepped deployment technique.

The executive vice president and global chief medical officer of Boston Scientific, Ian Meredith, M.D., stated:

“Adding the ACURATE family of valve products to our structural heart portfolio presents us with the opportunity to provide two distinctly different but complementary TAVI platforms enabling implanting physicians and hospitals to treat the broadest range of patients and aortic valve anatomies.”