Boston Scientific to Acquire German Developer of Stent Technology

In a move intended to complement its drug-eluting stent program, Boston Scientific Corp. (Natick, MA, USA) has agreed to acquire InFlow Dynamics AG (Munich, Germany), a company engaged in developing new stent technology. Terms were not disclosed.

InFlow has created a patent portfolio of nearly 30 issued patents whose subjects range from stent designs to surface coatings. Four clinical trials evaluating new materials and coatings are now in process. A trial of the company's proprietary passive stent coating, iridium oxide, showed an in-stent restenosis rate of less than 12% at a six-month follow-up. Boston Scientific says this coating may offer an attractive alternative for the segment of the international market that does not convert to drug-eluting stents. InFlow was founded in 1996 by Eckhard Alt, M.D., an interventional cardiologist who sought to address some unmet clinical needs.

"We see the acquisition of InFlow providing us with an expanded technology portfolio,” said Fred Colen, chief technology officer of Boston Scientific. "Dr. Alt and the team he's assembled have done some very compelling work that we will immediately blend with our internal product development process.”




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