Medtronic–Biosense Webster Alliance Designed to Boost Cardiac Ablation

Medtronic Inc. (Minneapolis) and Biosense Webster Inc. (Diamond Bar, CA), a Johnson & Johnson company, recently announced a strategic alliance designed to advance the care of patients with cardiac arrhythmias. In a joint announcement, the companies said they intend to design a clinical trial that would better identify patient candidates most likely to benefit from ablation therapy and, in so doing, increase the acceptance of catheter ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmia. The partnership was announced prior to the start of the annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society (Washington, DC), which were held earlier this month in Denver.

Roy Tanaka, president of Biosense Webster, said the strategic alliance would “leverage the unique resources and technologies of the two companies together, and will benefit the millions of patients who suffer from cardiac arrhythmias around the world.”

Steve Mahle, president of Medtronic's cardiac rhythm management (CRM) business, said the collaboration would begin “by bringing the unique competencies of imaging and navigation together with diagnostics and monitoring in an effort to improve the electrophysiologist's capability in identifying and treating patients.”

Biosense Webster is generally recognized as the market leader in cardiac mapping and ablation, while Medtronic is the leading manufacturer of implantable CRM devices.

A cardiac arrhythmia is a disturbance in the regular rhythm of the heartbeat. Although some arrhythmias can result in cardiac arrest and sudden death, most cause a number of discomforting symptoms, most notably palpitations.

Depending upon the nature, extent, and suspected cause of the symptoms, many cardiac arrhythmias requiring medical attention can be treated with medication or—in more persistent cases—with an implanted cardiac pacemaker. According to the Heart Rhythm Society, ablation therapy is typically used with rapid heartbeats that begin in the upper chambers, or atria, of the heart. These arrhythmias are known as supraventricular tachycardias.

The ablation process is a minimally invasive procedure in which an electrode-tipped catheter is used to determine or map the location of the site causing the electrical malfunction. The site can then be ablated or destroyed by radiofrequency, which cauterizes the problem tissue, or cryoablation, which freezes it. Laser, microwave, and other energy sources can also be used in cardiac ablation.

For many types of arrhythmias, catheter ablation is successful in 90–98% of cases, reports the Heart Rhythm Society. In patients with more-serious, life-threatening arrhythmias that begin in the lower chambers of the heart, ablation is often used along with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

According to MedMarket Diligence LLC (Foothill Ranch, CA), much of the cardiac ablation market is focused on atrial fibrillation. This condition is the most prevalent type of arrhythmia, affecting 2.2 million patients in the United States.

“The market for surgical devices to treat atrial fibrillation is a dynamic one,” says Patrick Driscoll, president of MedMarket Diligence. “One area of intense interest in this regard is developing ablation systems that can effectively ablate heart cells causing the fibrillation. Several of these devices have been or are being developed, some of which are currently in FDA testing.”

Driscoll expects the U.S. market for cardiac ablation systems to grow from $53 million in 2008 to $173 million by 2013.

In addition to Medtronic and Biosense Webster, MedMarket Diligence cites a number of other medtech companies actively developing devices, components, and supporting accessories for the cardiac ablation market. These players include: AtriCure Inc. (Cincinnati); Boston Scientific Corp. (Natick, MA); Cardima Inc. (Fremont, CA); Cardiogenesis Corp. (Foothill Ranch, CA); CardioOptics Inc. (Wilmington, MA); CryoCath Technologies Inc. (Montreal); CryoCor Inc. (San Diego); Estech (San Ramon, CA); Irvine Biomedical Inc. (Irvine, CA); MedicalCV Inc. (Inner Grove Heights, MN); nContact Surgical Inc. (Morrisville, NC); ProRhythm Inc. (Ronkonkoma, NY); Spectranetics Corp. (Colorado Springs, CO); and St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, MN).

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