Dive Brief:
- Boston Scientific said Monday it has agreed to acquire Intera Oncology, which makes treatments for liver tumors primarily caused by metastatic colorectal cancer.
- Newton, Massachusetts-based Intera developed the Intera 3000 hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump and chemotherapy drug floxuridine, both of which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
- The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal. Boston Scientific expects the acquisition to close in the first half of 2025, subject to closing conditions.
Dive Insight:
Boston Scientific continues its M&A run this year with the Intera purchase proposal. The company recently closed its $3.7 billion acquisition of Axonics, following a lengthy regulatory review. Boston Scientific also bought Silk Road Medical for an equity value of $1.28 billion. Intera’s device is a palm-sized, implantable pump that delivers a continuous flow of chemotherapy through the hepatic artery to tumors in the liver.
Roughly 1.4 million people in the U.S. had colorectal cancer in 2021, according to the National Institutes of Health. For nearly a quarter of patients, the cancer spreads to their liver, according to a statistic Boston Scientific cited from the World Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Peter Pattison, Boston Scientific’s president of interventional oncology and embolization, said in the deal announcement that the acquisition would allow the company to provide more comprehensive solutions to treat both primary and metastatic forms of liver cancer.
"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," Pattison said. "Interest in HAI therapy has grown in the oncology community given improved techniques, positive clinical results and ongoing trials.”
The Intera 3000 pump is currently authorized for use for patients with unresectable colorectal masses in the liver, both before and after resection. Intera is currently working on studies exploring use of the technology as first-line, second-line and post-surgery adjuvant treatments.
Boston Scientific expects the acquisition to have a dilutive impact on its 2025 earnings per share due to acquisition-related net charges and amortization expense.
