SmartTRAK identifies trends to watch in Spine

By most accounts, the Spine market has stabilized with modest low single-digit growth expected this year. Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak agrees that the Spine market seems to have stabilized and is starting to inch back up. However, he suggests that it is still slower than a year or two ago as price declines are now offsetting procedure growth, resulting in flat to low single-digit to growth. For 2019, Needham analysts are modeling 2% spine market growth with overall orthopedic market growth of 3.4%.

Q418 US Spine market remains fairly flat, rounding out a stable but unremarkable FY18.

SmartTRAK’s Financial Dashboard indicates a fairly flat Q418 US Spine market, with a decline of -0.4%. Similarly, for the full year, the US Spine Market was stable, with +0.9% growth. WW revenues increased modestly with a +1% uptick for FY2018. Spine market growth as a whole slowed sequentially to +1% in Q418 from +2% in Q3 according to estimates. Growth continues to be restricted in the US Spine market by a few key factors. Payer pushback is the norm, and while most surgical practices have learned to deal with it, the environment is ever-changing with new obstacles and hurdles.

Among the many topics covered in SmartTRAK's Q418/FY18 Spine Market Recap are:

The Spine hardware market appears to be stabilizing.

SmartTRAK reports that results from a recent Leerink MEDACorp survey suggest that the US Spine market may be turning the corner, with hospital administrators reporting slightly improved case volume growth of 0.9% for Q318 vs 0.7% for Q2. This is consistent with Leerink’s intra-quarter checks and conversations at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2018 Annual Meeting that the market...

Among the many topics covered in the Q318 Spine Market Recap are:

SmartTRAK analysts provide insight into the markets for spine hardware, computer assisted spine surgery and spinal cord stimulation in a BioMedGPS-hosted panel discussion entitled “The State of the Spine Market: Implants, Robotics, and Spinal Cord Stimulation” held prior to the recent North American Spine Society (NASS) 33rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.  

Moderated by Don Urbanowicz, Principal Urbanowicz Consulting, the panel included SmartTRAK’s Julianne Burns, Senior Analyst Spine, and Anne Staylor, RN, MS, Managing Editor and Senior Neuro Analyst, who discussed current and emerging market trends, projected growth, market drivers and limiters, and what’s on the horizon for these markets.

Click on the video below to watch the panel discussion recorded live at BioMedGPS’s pre-NASS reception held Sept. 25, 2018, or click on the button to download the transcript.

Stability in the US and in International Growth

While the Spine market remains sluggish in the US, international sales are picking up the slack. The Q2 WW Spine Hardware market improved nearly 2% during the quarter despite...

Among the many topics covered in the Q218 Spine Market Recap are:

SmartTRAK, the leading source of competitive life sciences intelligence used by the top ten global orthopedic & wound care companies, has published its Q118 Spine Market Recap.

While we saw a slight upturn in the market in Q4, the beginning of 2018 has again revealed the Spine market’s true colors – with a slight decline in the overall market and notable pricing pressures. With -1.9% YoY growth, Stryker’s US Spine revenues were challenged by market softness as well as low-double digit (~10%) price declines across core product lines. K2M management reported ...

Among the many topics covered in the Q118 Spine Market Recap are:

SmartTRAK is excited to be attending ISASS18 - The International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery - annual meeting, April 11-13 in Toronto, Canada.

Julianne Burns, Senior Analyst, Spine; Christopher McCarthy, VP Corporate Accounts, Orthopedics and Neuro; and Michelle Calderon, Acc't Manager, Orthopedics will be there representing SmartTRAK. Please contact us if you would like a meeting.

Spine is ending a Slow Year on a Slightly More Positive Note

SmartTRAK, the leading source of competitive life sciences intelligence used by the top ten global orthopedic & wound care companies, has published its 2017 US Spine Market Recap and Financial Dashboard.

Among the many topics covered in the Q417/FY17 US Spine Market Recap are:

Q317 Spine Market Recap: Softer Procedural Volumes – But Why?

The WW Spine Hardware Market (excluding biologics) was flat in Q317, driven by softer procedure volumes. But Why? SmartTRAK analyzes what’s behind the market slowdown.  

By Julianne Burns, Senior Analyst Spine 

Market Softening

The WW Spine Hardware market (excluding biologics) was flat in Q317. US Spine Hardware revenues were down very slightly and the US Fusion market was down according to the SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard.

 SmartTRAK reviews hot topics from the fall Spine meetings and identifies bright spots in an otherwise soft Spine market.

As we look forward to Q4 and year-end results, a busy fall meeting season comes to a close. This year, industry and analysts alike looked eagerly to the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and North American Spine Society (NASS) meetings in the hopes of nailing down some of the new, softer dynamics emerging in the Spine market. Q3 results seem to uphold the theory that the market is challenged, but bright spots remain as companies showcased myriad new interbody platforms and materials, and a few new robotics systems.