Boston Scientific to acquire Apama Medical

Boston Scientific announced an agreement to acquire Apama Medical, a privately held company that is developing a radiofrequency balloon catheter system for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

According to a press release from Boston Scientific, Apama Medical will receive $175 million cash in advance, as well as a maximum of $125 million in contingent payments based on achievements of clinical and regulatory milestones between 2018 and 2020.

“The acquisition of Apama further advances our continued investment in the electrophysiology category, and, upon commercialization, would broaden our portfolio of differentiated arrhythmia solutions," Joe Fitzgerald, president of Rhythm Management, Boston Scientific, said in the release. "We are also excited about the ability to integrate the Apama RF balloon system with our RHYTHMIA HDx Mapping System to provide physicians with an unprecedented visualization of the heart during ablation procedures."

The Apama radiofrequency balloon is designed to combine the benefits of both radiofrequency point-by-point and balloon-based ablation approaches and is currently being studied in clinical trials in Europe, which will serve as the basis for CE mark approval.

The AF-FICIENT first in-human study results presented at the AF Symposium annual meeting showed the Apama RF balloon met safety and efficacy endpoints in patients with paroxysmal AF.

"Study results reinforce the Apama RF balloon is an advancement in single-shot technology for [pulmonary vein isolation] and can provide physicians with greater control and efficiency when performing AF ablations," said Kenneth Stein, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer, Rhythm Management and Global Health Policy, Boston Scientific. "We look forward to continuing the development and commercialization of this novel ablation solution to treat both paroxysmal and persistent AF."

Disclosures: Fitzgerald and Stein are employees of Boston Scientific.