A Busy Week for Boston Scientific

It’s been a busy few days for one of the country’s largest medical device companies.

On Aug. 4, Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific Corp. closed its deal with Endo International plc to purchase American Medical Systems’ (AMS) Men’s Health and Prostate Health businesses, for $1.6 billion in up-front cash and a potential additional $50 million milestone based on 2016 sales. The acquisition strengthens Boston Scientific as a player in urology, providing physicians and healthcare systems a comprehensive portfolio of proven technologies.  The deal was announced in March.

The transaction includes AMS’ leading products for treating urologic conditions, including the minimally invasive GreenLight XPS and HPS Laser Therapy Systems for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, the AMS 800 Urinary Control System for treating male incontinence and the AMS 700 Inflatable Penile Prosthesis for treating erectile dysfunction. The technologies complement Boston Scientific’s urology portfolio for the treatment of kidney stones and pelvic floor disorders, enabling further innovation for the company across five common urologic diseases that account for 50 percent of all urologic surgical procedures. The AMS women’s health business is not part of the transaction.

The AMS Men’s Health and Prostate Health businesses will be combined with the Boston Scientific Urology and Women’s Health businesses. The joint businesses will become the Boston Scientific Urology and Pelvic Health business. The business unit also continue to invest in gynecologic surgical solutions for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding and uterine fibroids, officials said.

“This is an exciting day as we join forces and welcome the AMS Men’s Health and Prostate Health teams to Boston Scientific,” said Karen Prange, senior vice president and president of Urology and Pelvic Health at Boston Scientific Corporation. “Together, we create a business with nearly $1 billion in annual sales, strong future growth prospects through innovation and market expansion, and a significant opportunity to address unmet medical needs. As a category leader, our combined organization will bring value-driven innovations that can help healthcare providers advance patient outcomes, reduce procedure costs, enhance quality and evolve the treatment of urologic and pelvic conditions in ways that previously could not be realized by either company alone.”

Remote Monitoring Deal

On Aug. 3, Boston Scientific bigwigs announced a deal in which the company became a “significant shareholder” and the exclusive worldwide sales and marketing representative for the cardiology-related diagnostic and monitoring offerings of Preventice Solutions Inc.

With this deal, Boston Scientific plans to expand its commercial presence into the $1 billion cardiac diagnostics and monitoring market by gaining access to a wireless monitoring portfolio linked to an integrated remote monitoring platform. 

Minneapolis, Minn.-based Preventice Solutions is a privately held company developing mobile health solutions and services. It makes wearable cardiac monitors, including Holter monitors, cardiac event monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry. These technologies are complemented by monitoring services including data transmission, surveillance, reporting, interpretation and integration into a healthcare provider’s workflow.

“As our healthcare environment continues to evolve, healthcare practitioners, administrators and payors are looking for solutions that identify relevant clinical insights from large volumes of patient data and integrate those insights to improve clinical decision-making,” said Joe Fitzgerald, executive vice president and president, rhythm management, Boston Scientific. “This collaboration with Preventice Solutions, which has an infrastructure optimized to monitor hundreds of thousands of patients each year, is a critical step in our effort to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.”

Cardiac monitoring is a critical component required for the diagnosis of many arrhythmias that require clinical intervention. Preventice Solutions’ portfolio includes the PatientCare Platform and the BodyGuardian family of products.