Boston Scientific Adds Two More TAVR Valves With Symetis Purchase

Boston Scientific bolstered its interventional structural heart disease program today, announcing the acquisition of Symetis SA, a Swiss-based company that makes transcatheter aortic valves. The purchase price was $435 million.

Symetis manufacturers the self-expanding Acurate TA (transapical) and Acurate neo/TF (transfemoral) aortic valve replacement devices, both of which have received CE mark approval in Europe for the treatment of high-risk patients with severe and symptomatic aortic stenosis.

The Acurate TA and Acurate neo/TF valves are not approved for use in the United States.

Boston Scientific already has a TAVR device, the Lotus Edge valve, which is approved in Europe but not in the US. Last month, though, the company voluntarily recalled all their Lotus valves following reports of problems with the device’s locking mechanism. As reported by TCTMD, the problem was related to the premature release of the pin connecting the Lotus valve to the delivery system. The company had to pause implantations with Lotus in October 2016 for the same reason.

Boston Scientific said the Lotus Edge valve should return to the European market by the fourth quarter of 2017. They also plan to file for premarket approval (PMA) with the US Food and Administration this year.

Ian Meredith, MD, who last October replaced Keith Dawkins, MD, as Boston Scientific’s executive vice president and global chief medical officer, said Symetis’ Acurate valves will complement, not replace, the Lotus valve. The Acurate devices will allow Boston Scientific to offer multiple TAVR platforms to physicians treating patients with varying pathologies and anatomy. The company also noted that Symetis is currently developing a next-generation valve system—the Acurate neo/AS—that is being tested in clinical trials.

The Symetis deal is expected to close in June 2017.