** Brokerage Needham upgrades rating on Boston Scientific BSX.N to "buy" from "hold"
** Citing a survey of doctors, Needham says "competition is likely to be more benign" than previously expected
** BSX's device Farapulse uses pulsed field ablation technique to treat certain abnormal heart rhythm conditions
** Device got FDA approval in January 2024
** Farapulse initially had a single competitor in the U.S., Medtronic's MDT.N PulseSelect, but doctors strongly preferred BSX's device, according to the survey
** Although brokerage thought the launches of MDT's Affera and Johnson & Johnson's JNJ.N Varipulse would increase competition, supply of Affera remains limited, it said, and there have been stroke risk concerns with Varipulse
** Says BSX's two recent acquisitions of Bolt Medical and SoniVie represent new growth drivers in 2025 and beyond
** As of last close, BSX has risen 5.5%
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole)
((siddhi.mahatole@thomsonreuters.com))
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