4 things to know about our acquisition of Axonics, Inc.

When Meghan Scanlon chose mechanical engineering as her college major, she didn't have a particular career path in mind. But when she learned about the medical device industry while in graduate school, she never looked back.

As senior vice president and president of the Urology business at Boston Scientific, Scanlon says she's happy to have found a field that combines the problem-solving of engineering with the opportunity to make a real impact on the lives of people around the world.

"I like surgical procedures because they're typically mechanical solutions to problems that can be seen and touched," she says. "And fields like urology offer unique opportunities for making the lives of health care providers and their patients easier through innovation."

The newest opportunity she has her sights on: Reaching as many of the estimated 30 million U.S. adults suffering from overactive bladder as possible. We asked Scanlon to share how Boston Scientific is poised to do just that, thanks to the recent acquisition of Axonics, Inc.

What is the mission of the Urology business at Boston Scientific?

Everything we do is about making sure our innovations, investments and programs advance care for patients around the world suffering from urological conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia, male and female incontinence, erectile dysfunction and kidney stones.

How did Axonics first appear on your radar?

As part of our strategy to remain a category leader in urology, we pay close attention to portfolio adjacencies that we don't yet participate in. Sometimes we can develop technologies in-house to address those gaps. Other times, our strength and strategy in executing acquisitions allows us to continue to diversify our business.

Axonics is known for their implantable devices to help treat people suffering from overactive bladder, an umbrella term that includes the frequent and urgent need to empty the bladder, and fecal incontinence, also known as accidental bowel leakage.

The Axonics portfolio also includes a bulking therapy to help women with stress urinary incontinence, or the unintentional passing of urine due to exertion or an activity, like coughing, laughing or exercising.

Before the acquisition, many of the products in our portfolio primarily addressed urological issues with the male anatomy. With the addition of Axonics technologies, we now offer more devices to treat the female anatomy, which is really exciting.

What are your hopes for growing these technologies down the road?

Startup companies like Axonics can do a really good job of bringing their innovations into the U.S. medical device marketplace. And while they may have goals to expand internationally, that's typically a longer and more complicated journey for a smaller company.

Boston Scientific brings a full, mature ecosystem of commercial and health economics expertise that will serve as a springboard for the long-term growth of Axonics technologies globally. We look forward to offering these innovations to more patients around the world.

You have been involved in more than a dozen company acquisitions throughout your career, and you clearly have such passion for it. What keeps you excited?

Each acquisition is different-if you've seen one, you've seen one. Company cultures are different, technologies are different, portfolio complexity is different.

I really enjoy welcoming new team members to the Boston Scientific organization and the Urology team. I also love learning from the people who join our company and having how that positively influences our culture. Our Urology business has been built through both organic, in-house innovation and acquisitions, and it's because of our new teammates and ways of working that we continue to evolve and get stronger as an organization.

Learn more about our innovative treatments for common urological conditions.