Boston Scientific buys Israeli medical device co SoniVie

The giant of the medical devices in Boston Scientific announced that it had signed a final agreement to acquire the Israel Medical Services Company Sonvi For an immediate payment of $ 360 million in addition to human payments of $ 180 million. Boston has already a 10 % stake in the company.

The biggest winners of the deal are the heirs of the late Shmuel Al -Majour, Zveka Sloven, formerly in ELRON, Supernova Investa Supernova Invest, Techwald, and Omega. SONIVIE raised $ 85 million so far.

Soniveie has developed an ultrasound inside the small blood vessels that can selectively deny nerves around some blood vessels to treat medical conditions related to high blood pressure. Among other things, the system can treat nerves around the kidneys, which is an effective way to treat blood pressure. Currently, there are devices on the market that selectively harm the nerves around the kidneys, but it uses radiation radiation, not ultrasound. Boston reported that ultrasound energy has the ability to penetrate in the depths of tissues, making the treatment more effective and faster.

Last year, Sonivee reported positive results from an initial clinical trial in the United States and Israel, and recently began a pivotal experience, which may be sufficient to submit the product to obtain FDA approval.

SONIVIE was founded in 2014 at the Accessal Fund initiative, led by URI Geiger, as part of its strategy in building companies after determining a need from large companies. This technology was initially developed on the heart, and Access has acquired the rights to develop technology only for the field of pulmonary hypertension treatment. After heart diseases themselves have passed a crisis, at a time when the market was skeptical of the idea of ​​rejection to treat blood pressure, the current group of investors in Sonivee led the company to invest in the company and also gained heart technology, which was stopped, including technology for the field of revision in the kidney area, its main product today.

Soniveie has offices in Rehovot and New Jersey, and is currently run by Tomaso Zambelli, a former executive company in large medical devices companies. This technology was developed by ARILEL Sverdlik, which later invented the Sofwave Medical aesthetics (Tase: SOFW), which also depends on ultrasound.

“I was lucky”

Sverdlik, who has developed technology with Soniveie VP R&D or Shabtay, remembers how everything started. “I was lucky. I began a doctorate in medical engineering in the field of ultrasound, with the idea of ​​using ultrasound inside the vessels to prevent heart attacks. Tel Aviv University Marketing Company, Ramut, linked me to an investor called Shmuel Almagor. He was independent of cigarettes, and may have wanted to invest in the field of naming heart disease to deal with feelings of interest.

Shmuel asked me – How many money will you need to obtain the approval of the FDA?

Initially, the goal of technology was to prevent the accumulation of calcium deposits in the arteries. “But one day I was at a conference, and I watched a lecture by a new company called Ardian. They talked about a technique for saving nerves, which they said could get 5-10 % of a market worth $ 50 billion. During the lecture I realized that with ultrasound, I could do this better.”

“All the money decided that this field was nonsense.”

Ardian was sold for $ 800 million to Medrtonic, and the market has caused great attention. Sverdlik continues, “Abbott invest $ 16 million in Cardiosense in stages.” But then, after an unsuccessful MedTronic experience with technology, the entire field was shattered. “After the failure of the trial, which was not well planned, all the money decided that this field was nonsense and that it did not really succeed. Abbott stopped injecting the money. When we asked them what to do with their shares, they said – whatever you want.”

Entrepreneurs began to search for capital, until they found the accelerated box, which wanted to develop the product for the field of high blood pressure in health. Access Sonivee founded and gained the rights of this technology, and then gradually gained the rest of the technology. This was about the point where Sverdlik left the company.

He says: “I worked like madness, and I have not seen any money for five years,” he says. “I told them, I have finished, I need something new.” As part of our money raising efforts, I met Dr. Shimon Ikhaus, and when she left heart disease, I turned to him and said, “Let's do something.” He said: “Your ultrasound, can you reject the lower layer of the skin without damaging the top?” I said, “definitely.” Sofwave was born, “currently traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

It was published by Globes, Israel Business News – En.globes.co.il – on March 4, 2025.

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