The New Math of Drug-Device Convergence

In combination products that span the device and pharmaceutical industry, one plus one doesn't necessarily equal three. Speaking at "Convergence: the Drug/Device Summit," Paul LaViolette, chief operating office of Boston Scientific, recounts the intricacies of getting Taxus, the largest combination product in history, to market. For all the success BSC has had, both with Taxus and generally speaking--a huge infrastructure, billions of dollars in revenues, and 18 PMA approvals under its belt-the first lesson it learned from its drug-eluting stent program was, "As hard as you think it may be, it's harder than that."