Medtronic aims to bolster its stroke treatment portfolio with the acquisition of Scientia Vascular, maker of specialized guidewires, microcatheters and access products for reaching complex clots deep within the brain.
The $550 million tuck-in deal is slated to close between late April and the end of October, during the first half of Medtronic’s 2027 fiscal calendar. The medtech giant described Scientia’s catalog as one that could be seamlessly integrated into the company’s existing line of interventions, such as stent retrievers.
“This acquisition positions Medtronic with a full suite of products,” Linnea Burman, president of Medtronic’s neurovascular business, said in a statement. “It builds a strong foundation for Medtronic and supports procedures across both hemorrhagic and acute ischemic stroke.”
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Scientia’s process involves etching gaps within a solid tube of nitinol alloy, forming it into rings and interconnected beams—this allows the guidewire to bend and navigate through the small, twisted blood vessels of the brain while still being able to deliver torque. The company said the approach brings benefits not seen with traditional guidewires reinforced with braids and coils.
Its Aristotle guidewires come in a variety of sizes. Scientia also markets the Socrates aspiration catheter and the Plato microcatheter, with the latter designed to deliver embolic stents and coils—as well as liquid embolic therapies like Medtronic’s long-running Onyx platform, which picked up a new approval from the FDA late last year for the surgical treatment of subdermal hematoma.
“Scientia has developed critical technology that has been embraced by physicians,” said Rick Randall, CEO of the Salt Lake City-based company, with its about 310 employees. “This deal allows us to take our engineering into disease states globally and positions Medtronic with a comprehensive portfolio and complete guidewire line.”
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The deal also follows Boston Scientific’s blockbuster acquisition announcement earlier this year for Penumbra and its vascular devices, priced at $14.5 billion. That will include hardware for tackling peripheral, coronary and pulmonary clots, as well as stroke care devices, including catheters ranging from micro to wide-bore sizes, plus aspiration and reperfusion systems.
