St. Jude Medical’s (NYSE:STJ) Unify Quadra hit the market in Japan, notching one more country on the device’s global tour.
In October 2009 the Minnesota-based health care giant won CE Mark approval in the European Union for the Unify Quadra, a quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator, and the device has been on a global march ever since.
The device hit markets in Europe in May 2010, launched in India in September 2011, won FDA approval in November 2011 and reached Japan this month.
The Unify Quadra features 4 electrodes that can be used in 10 different pacing configurations, allowing physicians to implant the lead in the most stable way without compromising its effectiveness.
The CRT-D also boasts the "smallest device footprint available in the industry," according to the product website.
The device has garnered lofty praise from some analysts. Last March bullish outlooks on the device shot STJ shares to new highs on Wall Street.
"Within 3 years, they’re likely to become the standard of care, owing to the ability to improve both the safety and efficacy of [CRT-D] implantation," J.P. Morgan analyst Weinstein wrote in a note to investors at the time, citing a survey the brokerage firm conducted which found that 82% of electrophysiologists expect St. Jude to gobble up market share from rivals Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT).
STJ shares gain 1.5% today, trading at $39.24 as of about 4:45 p.m.
