Boston Scientific has acquired women’s health specialist company nVision Medical for an upfront payment of $150m.
Under the terms of the transaction, nVision is eligible for up to another $125m based on potential clinical and commercial milestones over the next four years.
This deal expands Boston Scientific’s footprint into the women’s health segment with the addition of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared device developed to collect cells from the fallopian tubes.
The company expects that the device will pave the way for the development of new diagnostic options for various ovarian cancer types, most of which are found to develop from the fallopian tubes.
Boston Scientific executive vice-president and global chief medical officer Ian Meredith said: “We are excited to develop this technology that one day may play an important role in early detection of the disease and the prevention of unnecessary surgeries, while also serving as a foundation for our broader oncology initiatives in both diagnostics and therapeutics.”
During early clinical studies, the nVision device demonstrated effectiveness to collect cells that were observed to be associated with a post-surgery definitive diagnosis of cancer, upon analysis.
Boston Scientific intends to further the research to find ways to use these cells for diagnosis before surgery, aiding treatment decisions for women who are at high risk of developing the various ovarian cancers.
Statistics show approximately two million US women are at increased risk for developing the disease, which is asymptomatic until the late stages.
While the removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes minimises the likelihood of cancer growth, it leads to the enhanced risk of cardiovascular issues or cognitive impairment and prevents childbearing.
Boston Scientific MedSurg executive-vice president and president Dave Pierce said: “We estimate the near-term market opportunity to be $500m with the potential to grow to $2bn as this device is used by more gynaecologists to help even more women.
“We are committed to expanding our women’s health portfolio and driving clinical research that will help deliver innovative options for the prevention and treatment of gynaecological cancer.”
