Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) announced today that it agreed to acquire infusion pump maker Intera Oncology for an undisclosed amount.
Intera Oncology develops the Intera 3000 hepatic artery infusion pump and floxuridine, a chemotherapy drug. Both hold FDA approval. The pump administers hepatic artery infusion (HAI) therapy to treat tumors in the liver primarily caused by metastatic colorectal cancer.
Intera 3000 is implanted under the skin with a connected catheter placed in the hepatic artery. This supplies the liver with oxygenated blood. The pump then provides a continuous flow of floxuridine directly into the liver to treat tumors that have metastasized, most commonly from the colon.
According to a news release, Intera 3000 remains the only constant flow implantable pump for HAI therapy approved in the U.S. Previously shared data demonstrates the clinical benefits of HAI therapy for patients with unresectable colorectal metastases to the liver, both prior to and following resection. Evidence shows that HAI significantly improves tumor response, time to progression and overall survival compared to systemic chemotherapy.
Combining HAI with systemic chemotherapy may lead to extended survival and higher conversion-to-resection rates, too. Boston Scientific says Intera currently has Phase II and III studies underway exploring the therapy in larger patient groups.
The company expects to complete the transaction in the first half of 2025.
“Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and we are committed to providing meaningful solutions to safely and effectively treat various forms of this disease with minimal systemic side effects and improved outcomes for patients,” said Peter Pattison, president, Interventional Oncology and Embolization, Boston Scientific. “Interest in HAI therapy has grown in the oncology community given improved techniques, positive clinical results and ongoing trials. We believe this acquisition will enable us to provide a more comprehensive set of solutions to physicians and their patients to treat both primary and metastatic forms of liver cancer.”
Boston Scientific continues its aggressive M&A strategy
This marks the latest M&A play from Boston Scientific, which remains quite busy on that front. In the past few months alone, the company completed acquisitions of Axonics and Silk Road Medical and agreed to acquire cardiac mapping technology developer Cortex.
In September 2023, the company outlined the key role of M&A in its overarching business plan. The company had just announced the acquisition of Relievant Medsystems, which it completed in November.
Other M&A moves by Boston Scientific over the past several years include the acquisition of a majority stake in Acotec, worth around $523 million, at the end of 2022. In April 2023, the company completed a $615 million acquisition of Apollo Endosurgery. Previous years also include buys of Farapulse, Baylis Medical and Lumenis.
