ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Boston Scientific’s structural heart business received a big boost earlier this month when the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final National Coverage Determination (NCD) for the company’s Watchman percutaneous endocardial left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device. The NCD provides substantial growth momentum for this rapidly emerging device space, which could reach $500 million or more in annual revenues by 2019.
LAA closure devices are used to reduce the risk of embolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who require an alternative to lifelong oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy with drugs such as warfarin.
