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Acquisitions and divestment
Main article: Acquisitions and divestment of Boston Scientific assets
History
2026
Boston Scientific stents injure and kill people
On January 16, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of Boston Scientific Axios stents and their delivery systems due to an identified defect. The use of these products can cause significant harm to the health of patients and even provoke death. Read more here.
Purchase of the manufacturer of devices for the treatment of heart diseases Penumbra for $14.5 billion
On January 15, 2026, Boston Scientific announced an agreement to acquire heart disease device maker Penumbra. The deal is worth $14.5 billion, the largest purchase in Boston Scientific history. Read more here.
2025
Boston Scientific heart implants were defective - 17 people died because of them
On August 6, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that the use of Boston Scientific heart implants posed a threat to patients' health and lives. The defect was identified in Watchman access systems. Read more here.
Russia has developed the Staff radiant, which burns drones in 0.1 s
Russian developers have created an updated laser installation "Staff," capable of burning unmanned aerial vehicles in 0.1 seconds. The new modification of the luchemet successfully passed bench tests and demonstrated a significant increase in efficiency compared to previous samples. This was announced by the CEO of the development company on August 11, 2025. Read more here
2024
Boston Scientific's defective vascular devices are killing more people
In mid-October 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new notice regarding Boston Scientific's defective Obsidio Conformable Embolic vascular devices. Using this pre-mixed embolic agent to block or occlude blood flow to certain blood vessels continues to take people's lives. Read more here.
Boston Scientific recalls defective vascular devices that cause people to die
On April 17, 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of Obsidio Conformable Embolic products supplied by Boston Scientific. The use of defective devices can result in severe harm to the health of patients or even provoke death. Read more here.
2022
In the US, a federal network of clinics performed tens of thousands of dollars worth of unnecessary surgery on patients using Boston Scientific equipment
On September 19, 2022, a case was unsealed from which it became known that Boston Scientific ignored complaints from its employees about the federal medical network Modern Vascular conducting unnecessary operations using its devices. Read more here.
Payment of $85 million for theft of technology in the field of spinal cord stimulation
In early August 2022, it became known that Boston Scientific would pay $85 million, in addition to the $20 million previously awarded by the court, to resolve a legal dispute over intellectual property issues with Nevro. Read more here.
2021
Recall of defective balloon catheters due to holes in them
In late October 2021, Boston Scientific issued a warning letter to recall some Hurricane RX biliary balloon dilation catheters. The company announced the recall due to complaints received about punctures in the cylinder. Read more here.
Recall of defective pacemakers that have malfunctions
In early August 2021, Boston Scientific recalled, pacemakers Ingenio including the Advantio DR EL, Ingenio DR EL and Vitalio DR EL models, and pacemakers for resynchronization therapy due to malfunctions. Due to the defect, the devices go into safe mode designed for backup without warning, the company said. In this case, the device cannot be reprogrammed and must be replaced. More. here
Payment of a fine of $188.6 million for defective vaginal implants
At the end of March 2021, Boston Scientific agreed to pay a fine of $188.6 million to 47 states and the District of Columbia to resolve claims for the sale of defective transvaginal nets. Read more here.
Recall of defective stents that shift after implantation
In late May 2021, Boston Scientific initiated the recall of its Vici SDS and Vici RDS venous stent systems. The recall received a class I designation, that is, it is associated with problems that potentially threaten the life and health of patients. Read more here.
2020
Recall of defective heart valves and stop Lotus program
In mid-November 2020, Boston Scientific began recalling defective Lotus Edge aortic valves for transcatheter implantation and stopped the Lotus program. The company said it was recalling unused products solely because of problems with the delivery system, although the artificial valve implantation itself allows for clinically meaningful favorable results. Patients who have already had a Lotus Edge valve implanted are not being feared, the company said. Read more here.
Recall of defective angiographic catheters
In mid-April 2020, Boston Scientific is recalling 6,130 Imager II 5F angiographic catheters because there is a potential for the catheter tip to detach during the procedure or during preparation for the procedure. Read more here.
20% reduction in salaries for many of 36 thousand employees due to coronavirus
In early April 2020, it was reported that Boston Scientific had cut the wages of many of its 36,000 employees worldwide by 20%. The company justifies its actions with a sharp decline in revenues due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The company claims that production has risen as doctors at home and abroad postpone routine operations and procedures during the epidemic. Many of these procedures use the company's products, from coronary stents to endoscopic devices.
Boston Scientific decided to move most of its full-time workers from USA those not in sales or manufacturing to a four-day working week, with a corresponding reduction in basic wages. Hourly pay for part-time employees will be maintained at a level that ensures benefits are maintained.
Boston Scientific employs about 17,000 people in the U.S., including about 3,000 in Massachusetts. A spokesman for the company declined to say what would happen to Boston Scientific's 19,000 foreign employees as part of "risk mitigation plans." It also declined to say the total number of workers whose pay would be cut over the next three months.
Boston Scientific claims that the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter of 2020 will lead to an even greater decline. The company also plans to significantly reduce the basic salaries of its chief executive officer Mike Mahoney and members of the board of directors and executive committee. Mahoney plans to waive his base salary for up to six months, other than the payments needed to preserve his benefits. His base salary in 2019 amounted to almost $1.28 million, and the total compensation is more than $15.7, including income from shares and option premiums.[1]
Paying tens of millions for defective transvaginal implants
In early March 2020, Boston Scientific agreed to pay Canadian women $21.5 million in a lawsuit for defective transvaginal implants. Boston Scientific has pledged to compensate 325 women. The proportion of each plaintiff will depend on the severity of the medical problems. Final judicial approval is expected in June 2020. Read more here.
2019
US hides patient deaths
In mid-November 2019, it became known that the US authorities cover manufacturers of medical equipment, allowing them to hide real data on patient deaths. Read more here.
Medtronic and Boston Scientific continue to sell stents that are dangerous to humans
At the beginning of January 2019, Medtronic and Boston Scientific continue to sell stents coated with paclitaxel, despite the fact that a month earlier a study was published indicating an association between the use of devices and an increased mortality rate.
The meta-analysis analyzed data from 28 clinical studies using paclitaxel-coated devices that are used to stent the femoral and/or popliteal arteries. According to the study, the relative increase in total mortality among patients with paclitaxel stents compared to patients who were given an uncoated stent is 68% after two years, and 93% after five years. The results of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In response, representatives from both companies spoke at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, noting that their own data did not support the higher mortality rates identified in the new study. Medtronic and Boston Scientific have been monitoring 1,800 patients in randomized controlled trials in the U.S. and Japan for more than five years, but there has been no such signal of a safety breach. The new study did not identify a potential mechanism for increasing mortality rates, and the findings differ from evidence from other observations.
Representatives of companies insist on testing the hypothesis in additional clinical studies. A Boston Scientific spokesman also recalled that paclitaxel has been used in oncology for more than 20 years in higher doses. The study authors countered that paclitaxel used in chemotherapy is water-soluble and has a half-life of about six hours, whereas paclitaxel on stents has a half-life of weeks to months.
The medical community is unlikely to immediately abandon the use of such devices, as the potential increase in mortality does not outweigh the risks of using drug-free stents, including the risk of repeated thrombosis and amputation.[2]
2018: $800 million expense to settle vaginal implant claims
By the end of February 2019, Boston Scientific had settled a total of nearly 50,000 trials involving mesh implants, which many patients claim lead to infections, urinary problems, pain and other problems. In 2018, the American company spent $800 million to resolve such claims.
Boston Scientific is one of the few companies to manufacture transvaginal mesh implants. The devices are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, which can cause pain and urinary problems. Since 2009, Boston Scientific has received about 53,000 lawsuits from women who note painful side effects after installing transvaginal implants.
While some cases were never closed, most of the claims were settled. The company's CFO Daniel Brennan said that between 2015 and 2018, the company invested $119 million in the settlement of almost 3,000 lawsuits, and another $655 million was postponed to finance other legal expenses.
Boston Scientific expects all lawsuits to be settled by the end of 2019. The company continues to manufacture and sell implants. However, a 2011 regulatory study concluded that serious adverse events with mesh implants were much more common than originally thought and that implantation did not improve clinical outcome. In early 2019, U.S. regulators convened an advisory group to discuss the safety of transvaginal mesh implants manufactured by Boston Scientific and other companies, but never reached a final decision by the end of February. [3]
2017
Creation of a laboratory for the development of endoscopic equipment
In June 2017, Boston Scientific announced the creation of a new endoscopic research laboratory. It will be opened at the European Innovation Centre in the Irish city of Galway. Investments in the project amount to 17 million euros.
The venture, called RoadRunner, will attract more than 300 highly qualified doctors worldwide each year to promote the development of metal stents used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Thanks to experts, Boston Scientific hopes to reduce the development time of this medical device to just six months.
According to Darragh Colgan, vice president of Boston Scientific, the path to creating an effective and safe medical device can be "long and difficult."
 | Using RoadRunner, our engineers will collect feedback from international doctors in real time. Ultimately, this will greatly improve the process of allowing the device to move from the machine to the patient's bed. Doctors will have quick access to the equipment they need to improve the condition of patients both in Ireland and in the world, Colgan said. |  |
The Irish RoadRunner lab is not the first for Boston Scientific. The company previously used the concept to develop two new enteral stents inserted into the colon and small intestine.
Irish Foreign Minister Sean Kyne noted that Boston Scientific's investments confirm the country's position as one of the global leaders in medical technology.
Boston Scientific opened a representative office in the city of Galway in 1994. By June 2017, about 3 thousand people work there and various medical equipment is being developed, including the one used to treat heart disease.[4]
Claims over defective vaginal implants
In May 2017, a story continued accusing Boston Scientific of selling defective vaginal implants. The company won one trial and tried to challenge dozens of other complaints. Read more here.
Lease Extension for Microelectronic Implant Development
In March 2017, Boston Scientific extended the lease of buildings in Valencia (California, USA), in which the Neuromodulation Group division is based, specializing in the development of microelectronic implants for the treatment of chronic pain or neurological diseases. It is reported by BioSpace with reference to The Signal newspaper.
According to the latter, for another 10 years Boston Scientific will continue to rent two buildings: in one of them the area of office and technical premises is 16.7 thousand square meters, in the other - almost 15 thousand. The latter is also used to train employees and store products.
Under an agreement reached with Southern California authorities, Boston Scientific will increase the number of personnel in the region. How many jobs are planned to be created and in what time frame is not specified. The company has been operating in Valencia for about 9 years, according to a March 10, 2017 BioSpace publication.
It also reports that in recent years, Boston Scientific has been actively increasing its staff largely due to the temporary abolition of the tax on medical devices in the United States. The company finished 2016 with 27 thousand working employees against 25 thousand people a year earlier. About half of employees work outside the United States.
In June 2016, Boston Scientific announced a corporate restructuring aimed at the global development of commercial, technological and manufacturing capabilities in key markets of presence. At the same time, the company began to optimize the network of enterprises and measures to improve operational efficiency in order to fulfill the tasks of business profitability.
As part of corporate restructuring, it was planned to reduce operating costs by $150 million by 2020, as well as to ensure long-term business growth and innovation.[5]
Increase in staff after the abolition of the tax on medical equipment
In March 2017, it became known about the increase in the number of personnel at Boston Scientific. The company is recruiting more workers thanks to the temporary elimination of the medical device tax in the United States.
In 2010, a 2.3% medical technology tax was included in the Patient Protection and Affordable medical Care Act to fund some of the then-president's reforms Barack Obama in the area. health care
The law, which came into force on January 1, 2013, affected the business of manufacturers and importers of equipment such as artificial hip joints, MRI machines and cardiodefibrilators. However, in 2015, the law was temporarily canceled - until the end of 2017.
As Mass Device writes with reference to the financial report of Boston Scientific, by the end of 2016, the company employed a total of 27 thousand people, 14 thousand of whom worked outside the United States. A year earlier, the staff of the American manufacturer of medical equipment totaled 25 thousand employees, including 12 thousand people working abroad.
A spokesman for Boston Scientific told the publication that in 2016, the company increased the number of jobs in the United States by "several hundred," but this data was not reflected in the report.
| | Our total number of employees has grown globally, including the United States. However, in reporting, we usually round the numbers, since the exact indicators can change from month to month, and resources are sometimes redistributed towards ensuring high growth, the Boston Scientific explained. | |
After eliminating the medical equipment tax, Boston Scientific was given the opportunity to invest in research and development, partnerships and "targeted recruitment."
In January 2013, when that tax took effect, the company reported eliminating 1,000 jobs worldwide.[6]
2015
Boston Scientific Sales Structure by Region in 2015
Notes
- ↑ Boston Scientific cuts pay for many of its 36,000 workers as revenue drops
- ↑ Report: Medtronic, Boston Scientific stand by paclitaxel-eluting devices despite JAHA study
- ↑ [ttps://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2019/02/20/boston-scientific-spent-800m-to-settle-mesh.html Boston Scientific spent 800m to settle mesh]
- ↑ Boston Scientific to invest €17m in new Galway facility
- ↑ Boston Scientific (BSX) Commits to 10 More Years in SoCal Space, Plans to Hire
- ↑ Report: Boston Scientific’s U.S. hiring flat despite device tax pause
Stock price dynamics
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