Boston Scientific on Acquisition Spree

Following its agreement to acquire Interventional Technologies in mid-February for US$345 million, Boston Scientific (Natick, MA, USA) has recently acquired or agreed to acquire three more companies.

Boston Scientific has acquired Embolic Protection, Inc. (EPI, Campbell, CA, USA) for $75 million. EPI has developed an embolic protection device, which is mounted on a guidewire and used to capture embolic material that is dislodged during cardiovascular interventions. The acquisition allows Boston Scientific to enter the embolic protection market, which it believes is one of the most promising new growth segments in interventional medicine.

Catheter Innovations (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) has also been acquired by Boston Scientific, expanding the latter's holdings in the $500 million venous access market. Terms were not disclosed. Catheter Innovations develops and markets catheter-based venous access products used for the delivery of chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, and nutritional support. The company offers a complete line of products that incorporate its Pressure-Activated Safety Valve (PASV) protection technology. This acquisition will complement the less-invasive offerings of the Medi-tech division of Boston Scientific.

Boston Scientific has agreed to acquire Quanam Medical Corp. (Santa Clara, CA, USA). Quanam develops medical devices using novel polymer technology, with a focus on drug-delivery stent systems for use in cardiovascular applications. Terms were not disclosed. Quanam's drug-delivery stent incorporating a paclitaxel derivative is in a pivotal clinical trial in Europe. Boston Scientific also has a paclitaxel-coated stent in clinical trials in Europe.



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