Boston Scientific closes acquisition of Symetis SA, a heart company focused on minimally-invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced the close of its acquisition of Symetis SA, a privately-held Swiss structural heart company focused on minimally-invasive transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) devices. With the completion of the acquisition, Boston Scientific will immediately begin selling the ACURATE TA and ACURATE neo/TF valve systems in Europe and in other geographies outside of the United States, and Symetis will become part of the Boston Scientific Interventional Cardiology division.

The two organizations announced a definitive agreement on March 30, 2017 for Boston Scientific to acquire the Symetis business for $435 million in cash. As with the company's cornerstone LOTUS Valve System platform, the ACURATE valves are designed to treat patients suffering from severe and symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, who are considered at high risk for surgical valve replacement. Instead of open heart surgery, the replacement valve is delivered via a transcatheter percutaneous delivery system. The ACURATE platform is recognized for its ease of use during valve implantation.

Comment: TAVI, which is less invasive than open-heart surgery, is gaining increased acceptance in treating patients with severe aortic stenosis, who are considered high-risk for traditional openheart surgery. The two main access routes in TAVI are through the femoral artery (transfemoral) and the apex or tip of the heart (transapical).