Boston Scientific has signed a deal to acquire the maker of a chemotherapy infusion pump aimed at treating certain inoperable tumors in the liver, including metastatic colorectal cancer that has spread to the organ.
Intera Oncology’s approach—approved by the FDA more than two decades ago—includes an implantable drug reservoir and a catheter that connects to the patient’s hepatic artery, which feeds the liver as well as parts of the stomach, small intestine and pancreas.
Powered by body heat, the refillable pump provides a constant flow of floxuridine over two weeks, and requires no batteries or motors. According to Intera, this allows local chemotherapy concentrations to reach liver metastases in levels about 400 times higher than drugs given intravenously, while also limiting its overall toxicity.
“Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and we are committed to providing meaningful solutions to safely and effectively treat various forms of this disease with minimal systemic side effects and improved outcomes for patients,” Peter Pattison, Boston Scientific’s president of interventional oncology and embolization, said in a statement.
The company estimates that, out of the about 1.4 million people in the U.S. with primary colorectal tumors, about 25% will see their cancer spread to the liver. Hepatic artery infusion, or HAI, also carries a green light for bile duct cancer that is fully confined to the liver.
“Interest in HAI therapy has grown in the oncology community given improved techniques, positive clinical results and ongoing trials,” Pattison said, with the device being studied in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials as first-line, second-line and post-surgery adjuvant treatments.
“We believe this acquisition will enable us to provide a more comprehensive set of solutions to physicians and their patients to treat both primary and metastatic forms of liver cancer,” he added.
Intera Oncology was founded in 2019 by two physicians after they learned that the hepatic infusion pump—previously known as the Codman 3000—was being discontinued by its manufacturer, despite it being the only approved HAI therapy in the U.S.
The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Cerenovus cited raw material shortages as the main reason for halting production in April 2018, amid the sale of its Codman neurosurgery portfolio to Integra LifeSciences.
Now dubbed the Intera 3000, the palm-sized, titanium implant has been shown to double overall survival rates when given alongside systemic chemotherapy though it previously has only been implanted in about 300 patients per year. A spent pump can also remain in place indefinitely in case of later cancer recurrence.
Boston Scientific said it expects to close the deal early next year; the financial terms were not disclosed.