Abbott Enters Electrophysiology Market With Acquisition of Topera

October 29, 2014—Abbott announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Topera, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing electrophysiology technologies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation. In a separate transaction in the electrophysiology market, Abbott has secured the right to purchase AdvancedCardiac Therapeutics, Inc. (ACT) in the future, upon completion of key milestones.

Through the Topera acquisition, Abbott enters the catheter-based electrophysiology market. Abbott will acquire all outstanding equity of Topera for $250 million upfront, plus potential future payments tied to performance milestones. Financial terms of the ACT agreement were not disclosed.

Abbott advised that completion of the Topera acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including antitrust clearance, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Topera is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and ACT is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Topera has developed a diagnostic catheter and mapping software, or rotor identification system, which help identify and target the specific areas of a patient’s heart that are perpetuating atrial fibrillation. Topera’s rotor identification system has been shown, when used with existing catheter ablation therapy, to result in positive long-term success rates, even in difficult-to-treat cases, stated the company.

According to Abbott, an independent, multicenter, physician-sponsored study of Topera’s system with catheter ablation demonstrated a single-procedure success rate of 87.5% in patients undergoing a first ablation procedure, and an 80.5% success rate for all patients after a 1-year follow-up. This compares to a 50% to 60% success rate for patients treated with existing catheter ablation therapy alone.

In the company’s press release, John Miller, MD, commented, “Topera’s mapping technology has the potential to change the paradigm for how physicians approach treating people with atrial fibrillation. The ability to more accurately target the areas of the heart perpetuating atrial fibrillation is a significant advancement in the field of electrophysiology, which may allow us to treat more people with atrial fibrillation and lead to better health results.” Dr. Miller is Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The company noted that initially, the Topera rotor identification system may supplement current procedures, but with more clinical evidence the device could become a tool for primary procedures to treat patients with atrial fibrillation.

The Topera system consists of the RhythmView workstation and the FIRMap diagnostic catheter. The system produces information that is designed to allow electrophysiologists to identify and locate rotors, the specific areas within the heart acting as a sustaining mechanism for atrial fibrillation. Being able to see individual, patient-specific rotors leads to more accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Topera’s RhythmView workstation and FIRMap diagnostic catheter received US Food and Drug Administration clearance and European CE Mark approval in 2013. 

Abbott stated that ACT is developing a novel ablation catheter designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of ablation procedures. ACT’s TempaSure catheter uses enhanced sensing technology to help physicians ensure they have achieved safe and effective ablation. The catheter has the ability to sense tissue temperature at depth, which allows physicians to deliver the correct dosage of energy to achieve effective ablation while ensuring the safety of the procedure.