Edwards Lifesciences is going all-in on structural heart and heart failure, acquiring aortic valve-maker JenaValve Technology and implantable heart failure monitor company Endotronix for $1.2B and up to $445M in milestone payments.
These two acquisitions could impact Edwards’ structural heart and heart failure portfolios in unique and meaningful ways…
JenaValve’s Trilogy TAVR system doesn’t yet have FDA approval, but is CE Marked for both aortic regurgitation and aortic stenosis, which is notable given that all other TAVR systems only address aortic stenosis.
- The JenaValve Trilogy could gain FDA approval for aortic regurgitation by late 2025, complementing Edwards’ already strong aortic stenosis capabilities.
Endotronix recently landed FDA approval for its Cordella heart failure sensor, which combines an implanted PA sensor to measure congestion, a handheld PA pressure reader, and a digital health platform to enable comprehensive home-based HF management.
- The Cordella system could have a major impact, given the success of its PROACTIVE-HF trial, and its anticipated nationwide coverage by CMS in early 2025.
These acquisitions also confirm that Edwards is in the middle of an M&A spree, as they come just a few weeks after it acquired early-stage TMVR company Innovalve Bio Medical for $300M and invested $16M in surgical mitral valve startup Affluent Medical.
In fact, Edwards likely has more M&A coming up, noting that it just sold its Critical Care business to BD for $4.2B, pledging to use the influx of capital to “to fund strategic growth investments” targeting structural heart, pulmonology, and interventional heart failure technologies.
Although these recent acquisitions aren’t expected to have a major impact on Edwards’ finances until at least 2026, their success is crucial in the long term, noting that Edwards just reported a slowdown in its flagship TAVR business that sent the stock plummeting 31%.
The Takeaway
Edwards made it clear that it was going to use its Critical Care cash to drive strategic growth, and it hasn’t taken long to put that plan into action, acquiring its way into key growth areas for the company and the overall cardiac device segment.
