Boston Scientific Acquires Stent Technology

In a move that will enable the company to expand its line of stents, Boston Scientific (Natick, MA, USA) has announced the acquisition of proprietary stent technologies used to treat gastrointestinal and airway obstructions from Rusch GmbH (Kernen, Germany). Rusch is owned by Teleflex Medical (Limerick, PA, USA).

The portfolio acquired includes assets related to the Polyflex esophageal stent and the Polyflex airway stent systems now distributed in the United States by Boston Scientific under a prior agreement, as well as the Y Dynamic tracheo-bronchial stent system. Rusch will continue to distribute these products in Europe only until the end of 2005. Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Esophageal obstructions make it difficult for patients to eat or swallow. Airway strictures may also interfere with breathing and may be life-threatening. Endoscopic stenting is a procedure in which a stent is inserted through an endoscope into the esophagus, trachea, or bronchial tubes and placed across a stricture to maintain the natural opening.

"The Polyflex stent, a self-expanding plastic stent, gives us a treatment option for patients with benign esophageal strictures that are unresponsive to other treatments, and could potentially change the way we treat the thousands of patients with these types of esophageal strictures each year,” explained David L. Carr-Locke, M.D., director of endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA).





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