Daily Brief Health Care: Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Align Technology, SIGA Technologies, Azitra, American Shared Hospital Servi and more

• Boston Scientific Corporation recently reported its second-quarter results, surpassing expectations with a strong performance driven by its cardiovascular portfolio and robust execution across multiple regions.
• The company saw a remarkable 16% growth in operational sales, with organic sales climbing 15%, well above its projected range.
• This growth was bolstered by innovation, clinical evidence, and strategic leadership in various categories.

• In reviewing the latest results from Edwards Lifesciences, notable elements of growth and development paired with challenges shed light on the company’s financial and operational trajectory during the second quarter of 2024.
• With total company sales reaching $1.6 billion, this marked an 8% increase on a constant currency basis compared to the same period last year.
• While Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) growth was not as robust as expected, increasing by 6% globally, the Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT) segment demonstrated impressive growth, with a 75% increase in sales.

• AMS’s Versa HD Linac in Mexico began patient treatments this month, representing a new revenue stream set to begin in 2H24.
• AMS also recently signed a JV for a Gamma Knife facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, marking its 4th international O&O location.
• AMS will upgrade an existing Gamma Knife Perfexion system there to an Esprit & also extended another lease agreement with a planned Esprit upgrade.

• Align Technology, renowned for its Invisalign clear aligners and iTero intraoral scanners, produced mixed outcomes in the second quarter of 2024.
• The company reported revenues of $1,028.5 million, marking a 3.1% increase sequentially and a 2.6% increase year-over-year.
• While revenue growth substantiates the company’s ability to expand amidst economic fluctuations, the impact of unfavorable foreign exchange shaved off significant potential gains, particularly with a $18.1 million or 1.7% year-over-year reduction.

SIGA Technologies announced another contract win with the US Department of Defense (DoD), which is for the procurement of c $9m in TPOXX. This is the third DoD contract win in roughly three years for a total of approximately $28m and adds to the already robust H224 orderbook of c $154m of outstanding TPOXX orders, following the July 2024 $112.5m option exercise from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for oral TPOXX. While delivery timeline details are yet to be disclosed, we expect this new DoD order to at least start being partially serviced in FY25. The DoD has also provided $27m in R&D support to the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) development effort, for which the regulatory filing is planned within the next 12 months.

• Azitra is developing genetically engineered bacteria for therapeutic use in dermatology.
• The company possesses a microbial library of 1,500 unique bacterial strains that are candidates for a variety of indications.
• Azitra’s lead candidate is ATR-12 for the rare disease Netherton Syndrome (NS).

• AMS’s Versa HD Linac in Mexico began patient treatments this month, representing a new revenue stream set to begin in 2H24.
• AMS also recently signed a JV for a Gamma Knife facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, marking its 4th international O&O location.
• AMS will upgrade an existing Gamma Knife Perfexion system there to an Esprit & also extended another lease agreement with a planned Esprit upgrade.