Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) is reportedly set to put some $19 million (€17 million) into an R&D center for its endoscopy products in Galway, Ireland.
The Marlborough, Mass.-based company yesterday cut the ribbon on its RoadRunner facility, at a site it opened in 1994 that already employs 3,000 workers, according to news reports. The idea is to bring in about 300 physicians each year to provide feedback for engineers designing stents for the bowel or biliary tract.
“Through the RoadRunner facility, our engineers will gather real-time feedback from international clinicians,” vice president Dr. Darragh Colganhe told the Irish Times. “Ultimately, this will significantly improve the process for a device to make its transition from bench to bedside. Physicians will have quicker access to the devices that they need to improve the outcomes of their patients, both in Ireland and internationally.”
Boston Scientific has already used the process, which is designed to pare the development process to 6 months, in creating a pair of new enteral stents, according to the newspaper. The company plans to invest the $19 million in phases over the next 3 years, according to SiliconRepublic.com.
“Globally, the products manufactured in Ireland positively impact human health across the world. I welcome this announcement and the Irish Government and its agencies will continue to nurture our important relationship with Boston Scientific into the future,” Gaeltacht affairs minister Sean Kyne said, according to the Times.