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Boston Scientific Forms Strategic Alliance With Aspect Medical Systems
In order to introduce new sedation management technology to interventional and specialty medical procedure suites, Boston Scientific Corporation (Natick, MA) and Aspect Medical Systems (Newton, MA) have formed a strategic alliance. The alliance will focus on developing and distributing brain monitoring technology specifically designed to enhance the safety, efficiency, and delivery of sedation to patients undergoing less-invasive procedures. Aspect will lead development efforts for new products designed for the specialty procedures environment.
The companies expect the alliance to expedite the development and introduction of technology designed to optimize sedation in clinical settings such as the interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, and gastrointestinal suites. Aspect will focus on its strengths in product development and clinical validation of brain monitoring technologies, and the new sedation products will have the benefits of Boston Scientific’s existing marketing and distribution channels and expertise. In return for Boston Scientific’s investment of $10 million for 1.4 million shares of Aspect stock, Aspect has offered Boston Scientific an option right for the worldwide distribution of the new technology.
Aspect’s most significant contribution, Bispectral Index (BIS) technology, provides direct information regarding the effects of anesthetics and sedatives on the brain. The BIS system assigns an objective representation of the patient’s level of consciousness, reducing the risk of under- and overdosing anesthetic and sedative treatments. Jim Tobin, Boston Scientific’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented that, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Aspect Medical to develop and customize BIS technology for use in less-invasive medical procedures. We believe that BIS technology may have the potential for becoming a standard of care for sedation management in specialty medical procedure suites around the world.”