Selling cardiac rhythm devices in the United States might not be the fantastically booming business it once was, but that doesn't mean competitors don't bare their knuckles every once in a while.
On Monday, Medtronic announced it has received Food and Drug Administration approval to market its Viva cardiac device (CRT-D), which it says more efficiently synchronizes the beating of the heart to combat heart failure. Not long after, and not to be outdone, competitor Boston Scientific sent an ad to doctors basically saying its device is better.
Its headline spared no punches: "Medtronic just launched their new high-voltage platform. We just have one question... Why another sub 5-year CRT-D?" The Boston Scientific ad went on to compare its Incepta CRT-D device and two Medtronic models, including the just-approved Viva. Boston Scientific said when set at similar energy levels, its device has a 7.7-year life span while Medtronic's Viva lasts only 4.6 years.
Medtronic, which said Viva uses software to coordinate the heart's 100,000 contractions each day and automatically adjusts to its patient's activity levels, quickly cried foul. Viva, Medtronic said, has better medical outcomes than previous products introduced to the market over the last 10 years — and Boston Scientific is wrong it its comparisons.
'Frankly misleading'
"Today, Boston Scientific sent out an ad to physicians that is frankly misleading. Boston Scientific's projected comparisons are based on very specific programming settings that do not accurately reflect how Medtronic devices are programmed in patients," Medtronic said in a statement.
The Fridley-based company went on to say that based on actual programming data for the vast majority of its patients, the Viva device "has a longevity of 7.1 years."
Officials with Boston Scientific responded Tuesday with a prepared statement: "We stand firmly behind the data in our ad. Whether based on each manufacturer's product manuals or product performance reports, longevity comparisons for contemporary Boston Scientific devices demonstrate our sizable longevity advantage. Further, only Boston Scientific offers device warranties out to 10 years on some models of ICDs and six years on CRT-D devices."
Not to be outdone, Medtronic sent doctors some information of its own, called: "Reality Check." In it, Medtronic said that "seven independent studies, including over 10,600 patients at 15 centers confirm Medtronic devices last longer."