Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today a definitive agreement to acquire the outstanding equity of Evalve, Inc., the global leader in the development of devices for minimally invasive repair of cardiac mitral valves. The acquisition provides Abbott with a presence in the growing area of non-surgical treatment for structural heart disease, in which physicians use catheter-based devices to repair or replace basic structural components of the heart such as mitral and aortic valves. The agreement includes an upfront payment of $320 million in cash, plus an additional payment upon completion of certain regulatory milestones, for a total of up to $410 million.
"The acquisition of Evalve will provide Abbott with leading technology in the emerging field of minimally invasive heart valve repair and further broadens Abbott's medical devices portfolio," said John M. Capek, Ph.D., executive vice president, Medical Devices, Abbott. "Evalve is on the cutting edge with its non-surgical approach to treating structural heart disease. With this breakthrough mitral valve repair technology, physicians will be able to offer their patients a minimally invasive alternative to open heart surgery -- not unlike the opportunity that stents provided more than two decades ago for the treatment of coronary artery disease."
Mitral regurgitation, a condition that prevents the mitral valve from closing completely, is the most common type of heart valve insufficiency in Europe and the United States, and affects millions of people worldwide. Traditionally, mitral regurgitation is treated through open heart surgery. However, only about 20 percent of the 600,000 patients diagnosed in the U.S. and Europe each year undergo surgery. Evalve's minimally invasive catheter-based MitraClip(R) system, used to clip the leaflets of the mitral valve together to reduce regurgitation, is the first commercially available treatment option approved in Europe for non-surgical mitral valve repair for patients suffering from the effects of mitral regurgitation. The MitraClip system is an investigational device in the United States and is currently in clinical trials.