US-based medical technology company Boston Scientific has agreed to acquire SoniVie, a medical device firm developing TIVUS Intravascular Ultrasound System.
TIVUS is an investigational technology designed to denervate nerves around blood vessels to treat hypertensive disorders, including renal artery denervation (RDN) for hypertension.
Boston Scientific, an existing strategic investor with a 10% equity stake in SoniVie, intends to complete the acquisition in the first half of this year, subject to customary closing conditions.
The medical technology company will acquire the remaining 90% stake for an upfront payment of around $360m, and up to $180m contingent on reaching a regulatory milestone.
Boston Scientific senior vice president and interventional cardiology therapies president Lance Bates said: “Renal denervation for hypertension is an exciting medical advancement for the millions of patients it may help and is supported by positive results from contemporary clinical trials and ongoing research.
“We believe the addition of the differentiated, ultrasound-based TIVUS system can complement our expansive interventional portfolio with a minimally invasive therapy for patients with hypertension and provides opportunity for future advancements in this space.”
According to Boston Scientific, hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is often associated with the overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.
Lifestyle changes and anti-hypertensive medications can help modulate the nervous system, which frequently fail to manage high blood pressure.
The TIVUS system provides an alternative, using RDN to reduce renal nerve activity, potentially serves as an adjunctive therapy to these medications.
It uses ultrasound energy, which can penetrate tissue more deeply than radiofrequency energy, potentially leading to quicker procedures with effective nerve ablation.
The catheter-based system delivers precise ultrasound energy through the blood and into renal arteries, maintaining blood flow to cool the treatment area.
It leverages ultrasound energy to heat and ablate the nerves, masking their ability to transmit signals and reduce the release of sympathetic hormones released from the nerves.
Last year, SoniVie announced positive efficacy data from an IDE pilot study of the TIVUS system in Israel and the US and has initiated the THRIVE global IDE trial for the device.
Last month, Boston Scientific agreed to acquire Bolt Medical, the developer of an advanced IVL platform for treating coronary and peripheral artery disease, for about $443m.
