Medtronic to Buy Ablation Frontiers

Medtronic Inc. has agreed to purchase Ablation Frontiers Inc. for an initial payment of $225 million. 

Additional payments are contingent on achieving certain benchmarks. Ablation Frontiers’ shareholders have given the green light for the buy, which is subject to regulatory clearance.

“As the leader in cardiac rhythm disease management, Medtronic is well positioned to deliver innovative therapies and expand the marketplace to address unmet needs in atria fibrillation,” said Pat Mackin, president of the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business and senior vice president at Medtronic. “Once the transaction is complete, we will add Ablation Frontiers’ emerging technologies to our growing AF Solutions franchise.”

The goal of Medtronic’s newly formed AF Solutions franchise, led by vice president and general manager Reggie Groves, is to be the physician partner of choice for atrial fibrillation ablation by bringing breakthrough AF therapies to the patients and physicians that are simpler, safer, effective, and offer more predictable procedure times than current treatment methods. Medtronic will offer physicians a choice of ablation therapies and tools to best meet the needs of AF patients, as well as the needs of their practices.

Keegan Harper, chief executive officer of Ablation Frontiers, said, “We are thrilled to join Medtronic and together will address the increasingly significant area of atrial fibrillation.