Augmenix announces agreement to be acquired by Boston Scientific for $500m

– USA, MA – Augmenix, Inc., a privately-held company which has developed and commercialized the SpaceOAR® System, a therapy used to reduce common and debilitating side effects that men may experience after receiving prostate cancer radiotherapy, today entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX). The transaction consists of an upfront cash payment of $500m, and up to $100m for reaching sales-based milestones.

Each year, more than 1.1 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer worldwide and approximately 400,000 men will undergo prostate radiotherapy.1,2 One of the most common complications of treatment is rectal radiation injury, due to the rectum’s proximity to the prostate and the resulting high doses of inadvertent radiation exposure. Prior to radiation therapy, the SpaceOAR hydrogel is injected to create additional space between the rectum and prostate during treatment, thereby reducing rectal radiation dose and associated side effects.

The SpaceOAR hydrogel is CE Marked, cleared by the FDA and has been used in more than 30,000 patients worldwide. As a result of commercial adoption, expanded U.S. reimbursement and a total addressable market valued at $750M, product sales are estimated to reach $50M in 2018, and approach $90M in 2019.

“The acquisition furthers our category leadership strategy in urology and the SpaceOAR hydrogel is a crucial addition to our growing prostate health treatment portfolio of products that improve the quality of life and clinical outcomes for men with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia,” said Dave Pierce, president, MedSurg, Boston Scientific. “The injection of this hydrogel during a minimally-invasive, in-office procedure can reduce the unwanted and unintended side effects of prostate radiation and provide substantial peace of mind for patients and their treating physicians.”

Clinical trials in Europe and the U.S. have demonstrated that the space created by the hydrogel significantly reduces the amount of radiation delivered to the rectum. Additionally, the randomized SpaceOAR hydrogel U.S. clinical trial demonstrated that patients who received the hydrogel spacer reported significantly less rectal pain during prostate radiotherapy and had significantly less severe long-term rectal complications, including zero incidence of grade 2 rectal toxicity versus a 5.7% rate experienced by patients without the spacer.

A single injection of the SpaceOAR hydrogel is designed to maintain the space between the rectum and prostate for three months – within the duration of a standard radiation treatment schedule. The absorbable hydrogel is gradually reabsorbed by the body within six months of injection.

“We are proud of the clinical and commercial outcomes we’ve been able to achieve for SpaceOAR hydrogel thus far, and are excited to drive accelerated adoption leveraging Boston Scientific’s urology and pelvic health expertise,” said John Pedersen, chief executive officer, Augmenix. “The company also has the additional resources needed to further explore expansion of indication to other organs throughout the body that could benefit from space creation – such as gynecological and pancreatic cancers.”

The acquisition is projected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions.

About Augmenix

Augmenix, founded in 2008 based on technology from Incept LLC, is based in Bedford, MA, and has approximately 140 employees.

For more information, visit www.spaceoar.com.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. As a global medical technology leader for more than 35 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare.

For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com

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