Boston Scientific Reveals Its Interest in Mitral Valve Replacement

Boston Scientific has invested in an Israeli mitral valve replacement company since 2012, but only revealed it on Thursday after pumping new money in it.

Arundhati Parmar

Boston Scientific has had an interest in a mitral valve company since 2012, but only chose to make the interest public on Thursday after a summer that saw a flurry of dealmaking in that category.

The Marlborough, Massachusetts, device maker announced that it has invested an undisclosed amount in MValve Technologies Ltd., an Israeli startup whose percutaneous mitral valve replacement system is designed to work with Boston Scientific's Lotus valve. The company has an exclusive option to buy MValve in the future.

The company's website requires a log in and has no information available to the public, but in a Boston Scientific news release, the device is described as a docking system in which the Lotus Valve is deployed. 

The TMVR segment represents another significant growth opportunity as we continue to build our Structural Heart portfolio," said Kevin Ballinger, senior vice president and president, Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific, in the news release. "This round of financing will support the development of the MValve technology in anticipation of a first-in-human clinical trial, and we are pleased to be continuing our collaboration."

While Boston Scientific has not disclosed the amount of its investment, it is reportedly more than $200 million.

Medtronic, Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Labs have all made one or multiple acquisitions to bulk up on their efforts to bring a mitral device replacement system into the marketplace. The devices are meant to treat mitral regurgitation which occurs when blood flows backward from the left ventricle into the left atrium because the mitral valve doesn't close properly.

Analysts believe that TMVR is the next multi-billion opportunity for medtech globally. 

Arundhati Parmar is senior editor at MD+DI. Reach her at [email protected] and on Twitter @aparmarbb