Johnson & Johnson expanded deeper into heart failure and interventional cardiology, acquiring interatrial shunt-maker V-Wave for $600M upfront and up to $1.7B with certain milestones.
- V-Wave’s Ventura Interatrial Shunt is intended to treat HFrEF patients, creating a shunt between the left and right atrium to decrease left atrial pressure.
- V-Wave will become part of J&J MedTech’s cardiovascular portfolio, home to a growing list of recently acquired cardiovascular device businesses.
- The two companies are already well-acquainted, as J&J led V-Wave’s 2016 Series B and was involved in subsequent rounds.
The V-Wave Ventura Interatrial Shunt’s unique approach appears to be quite effective, as a recent study showed a 45% reduction in cardiovascular events and 52% fewer HF hospitalizations over two years, without any procedure-related major adverse events.
- These improvements would allow the Ventura IAS to address the notable HFrEF treatment gap between GDMT and far more invasive therapies like LVAD and heart transplantation.
- The Ventura already has a European CE Mark, and gained FDA Breakthrough Device Designation back in 2019, although its still working towards FDA approval.
- An estimated 800k U.S. patients fall within this HFrEF treatment gap each year, most of whom would be candidates for the Ventura shunt if/when it becomes available stateside.
V-Wave’s attractive interventional heart failure niche and upcoming FDA decision apparently drove this acquisition, noting the growth potential that J&J’s sees in the interventional HFrEF arena and the medtech giant’s ability to bring a first-in-class product like this to market.
In fact, J&J Medtech has aggressively acquired its way towards becoming one of the more diversified cardiotech companies, giving it leadership in EP ablation (Biosense Webster), heart recovery (Abiomed), and intravascular lithotripsy (Shockwave), while adding promising future options for left atrial appendage elimination (Larimar) and now HFrEF (V-Wave).
The Takeaway
Although V-Wave’s Ventura Interatrial Shunt hasn’t proven its market potential, if it truly does become the go-to option for 800k U.S. HFrEF patients, it would be a huge addition to J&J MedTech’s growing (and increasingly impressive) cardiovascular portfolio.
