Boston Scientific's (BSX) Vercise Gevia DBS Gets FDA Nod

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) recently received FDA approval for its ImageReady MRI labeling for the Vercise Gevia Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) system. The system, to be used in a full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment, strengthens Boston Scientific’s neuromodulation portfolio.

The Vercise Gevia DBS system, along with the Vercise Cartesia Directional Lead, is designed to treat symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD) by delivering targeted electrical stimulation in the brain to provide maximum relief arising from the symptoms and control the unwanted side effects in an optimal way.

More Details on PD

PD is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. The symptoms start gradually, sometimes with a barely noticeable tremor in one hand. Other symptoms might include shaking, muscle stiffness and slow movement.

Significance of the Approval

Boston Scientific believes that the Vercise Gevia DBS therapy will help patients with PD control symptoms, leading to an improved quality of life. The system will perform a full-body MRI of patients, who will receive benefits from the latest advancements in the DBS program like directional stimulation and a longer-lasting rechargeable battery.

This system has been designed to provide long-term benefits to patients so that the treatment needed can be administered even when conditions worsen.

INTREPID Study Outcome

The FDA approval came on the back of positive outcome of the INTREPID trial, a prospective, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled, multi-center study of DBS for advanced, levodopa-responsive PD.

Clinical evidences from the INTREPID study demonstrated that patients treated with the Vercise System showed a 48% improvement in motor function as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III scores over two years.

Neuromodulation Arm to Get a Boost

In the last reported quarter, Boston Scientific’s Neuromodulation sales rose year over year on an operational basis buoyed by excellent performance of the Vercise DBS systems, making up for the deterioration in spinal cord stimulation performance.

The company continued to see stellar growth momentum in DBS owing to better market receptivity.

In this regard, per a report from Mordor Intelligence, the DBS devices market is expected to see a CAGR of nearly 11.8% during the 2019-2024 period. Major factors driving the market are a rapidly ageing population which is leading to risk and high prevalence of neurological disorders as well as growing demand for devices due to the rising popularity of minimally-invasive procedures and the availability of technologically-advanced DBS devices.

Zacks Rank & Share Price Performance

Currently, Boston Scientific carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The stock has gained 20.9% in a year’s time, outperforming the industry’s rise of 16.2%. The stock has also outpaced the S&P 500 index’s rally of 15.2%.

Key Picks

A few better-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR) , National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) and LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. (NASDAQ:LMAT) . You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Capricor’s, holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), third-quarter earnings growth rate is expected at 28.18%.

National Vision’s, Zacks Ranked #2, long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 17.2%.

LeMaitre Vascular’s, holding a Zacks Rank #1, has a long-term earnings growth rate projection of 10%.

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