J&J pause ‘very good’ for Boston Scientific, says Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler analyst Matt O’Brien says Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) confirmation that it has temporarily paused the domestic launch of its pulsed field ablation catheter Varipulse following four reported neurovascular events is “very good” for Boston Scientific (BSX) and also good for Medtronic (MDT). Piper is “not too surprised” by today’s announcement, saying Varipulse’s higher stroke risk was known. While how long the pause could last is unclear, it will likely be a while and even if Varipulse gets back on market, most clinicians will lean towards using Boston Scientific and Medtronic, the analyst tells investors in a research note. It thinks Boston Scientific would likely benefit more as the market leader, while Medtronic’s “tailwind here will likely be a bit more muted.”