Philips expands its image-guided therapy portfolio by acquiring SpectraWAVE

THE NETHERLANDS – Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, has announced its agreement to acquire SpectraWAVE, Inc., a U.S.-based innovator specializing in Enhanced Vascular Imaging (EVI), angiography-based physiology assessments, and the application of artificial intelligence in medical imaging.

The acquisition strengthens Philips’ position in the field of image-guided therapy by expanding its capabilities in coronary artery diagnostics and treatment technologies.

SpectraWAVE, headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, was founded in 2017 and currently employs over 70 professionals.

The company’s advanced intravascular imaging and physiological assessment systems provide innovative solutions for the management of coronary artery disease—the most common type of heart disease affecting more than 300 million people worldwide.

Through this acquisition, Philips aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of coronary interventions, ultimately benefiting both healthcare professionals and patients.

Roy Jakobs, CEO of Royal Philips, emphasized that the company’s leadership in image-guided therapy stems from strong clinical collaborations and the integration of cutting-edge innovations across hardware, software, and AI.

He explained that this synergy enables Philips to advance interventional procedures and improve patient outcomes globally.

Jakobs further noted that the company’s Azurion platform, which unifies interventional systems and devices into a single solution, is central to Philips’ mission of improving healthcare delivery worldwide.

He added that Philips is reinforcing its focus on image-guided therapy by expanding its coronary intervention portfolio with SpectraWAVE’s AI-powered innovations.

These include high-definition intravascular imaging and angio-based physiological assessments, both designed to enhance the quality and consistency of care for patients undergoing coronary procedures.

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), which are minimally invasive procedures used to treat coronary artery disease, increasingly rely on intravascular imaging and physiological assessment technologies.

Numerous studies have shown that such technologies improve clinical outcomes and procedural safety.

Leveraging its Azurion image-guided therapy platform, Philips integrates a growing array of diagnostic and interventional tools to advance the treatment of complex cardiovascular conditions.

Eman Namati, PhD, CEO of SpectraWAVE, expressed that Philips shares their belief that merging intravascular imaging, coronary physiology, and AI can transform coronary disease management.

He mentioned that the collaboration will enable them to scale SpectraWAVE’s flagship technologies—HyperVue and X1-FFR—through Philips’ global image-guided therapy ecosystem, offering clinicians broader choices and supporting more consistent, high-quality interventions.

Bert van Meurs, Chief Business Leader of Image Guided Therapy at Philips, remarked that the acquisition advances the company’s commitment to expanding the role of minimally invasive image-guided therapies.

He added that integrating SpectraWAVE’s next-generation imaging and physiological technologies marks a significant step in providing clinicians with AI-powered solutions that help them decide, guide, treat, and confirm therapy outcomes in a single workflow.

SpectraWAVE’s HyperVue Imaging System combines DeepOCT (a next-generation optical coherence tomography technology) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to deliver detailed structural and compositional images of coronary arteries during PCIs.

This Enhanced Vascular Imaging (EVI) system provides rapid setup, high-speed image acquisition, and automated AI analysis.

When integrated with Philips’ Eagle Eye Platinum digital IVUS and IntraSight solution, HyperVue broadens the intravascular imaging suite—offering IVUS, DeepOCT, NIRS, and AI-based physiological guidance in a unified platform that adapts to patients’ specific needs.

Additionally, SpectraWAVE’s X1-FFR technology provides an AI-enabled, angiography-derived physiology assessment, allowing clinicians to calculate fractional flow reserve (FFR) directly from routine X-ray images.

This capability converts standard angiograms into detailed coronary physiology data, simplifying workflows and enabling non-invasive ischemia assessments.

X1-FFR complements Philips’ OmniWire iFR technology by extending physiologic guidance to wire-free scenarios, equipping clinicians with a flexible toolkit to enhance the use of coronary physiology in everyday practice.

Royal Philips now offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive image-guided therapy portfolios, combining visualization systems with devices that enhance efficiency and support better patient outcomes.

The company’s Azurion platform, introduced in 2017, serves as the foundation of this portfolio and is currently used to treat more than 7.6 million patients annually across over 80 countries.

Financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, though the deal reflects Philips’ ongoing investment in advancing AI-driven healthcare technologies worldwide.