Dave Anderson, Medtronic’s President Neuromodulation, and Charlie Covert, Vice President and General Manager of Pain Therapies, discuss the Company, pandemic and the future of neuromodulation in a wide-ranging interview with SmartTRAK at the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 25th Annual Meeting held January 12-15, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
To find out more about the Company’s newest innovations, expanding indications*, clinical research and strategies for driving growth in spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS), click on the following video recorded live at NANS 2022. (33:45 minutes.) Specific interview topics by time code are also outlined below. To download a complete transcript of the interview, click here.
*Note this interview was recorded prior to January 24, 2022 when Medtronic announced FDA approval for the Intellis and Vanta neurostimulators for treatment of chronic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). For more information on FDA’s approval for this expanded indication, including how the market reacted, see SmartTRAK’s Daily Updates or the commentary provided in the Medtronic Company Profile under Neuro GPS.
Interview Topics by Timecode
00:25 The impact of the pandemic on Medtronic Neuromodulation and product lines in 2021 and the Company’s response, including patient funnel activities, strategic shifts and investments since COVID began.
02:07 Rationale for the trends and product line revenue shifts during COVID surges, the impact of product launches for SCS and DBS during the pandemic and how Medtronic Neuromodulation revenues fared compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
05:04 How innovation fuels shifts in the neuromodulation market and Medtronic's thoughts regarding the market returning to pre-COVID levels in 2022.
06:02 What’s new for Medtronic Pain Therapies at NANS 2022, including DTM SCS Endurance therapy, a modified variation of DTM to prolong battery life, three-month data on Endurance and the method for extending recharge intervals or battery life on a primary cell device.
09:27 Medtronic’s ECAPs-based SCS (Inceptiv), its regulatory status and potential impact on Medtronic’s pain therapy growth. How closed-loop therapy fits among other SCS devices that are also getting 80%+ responder rates. Medtronic’s vision for SCS and the future of this therapy.
12:22 Medtronic’s research and efforts to expand indications, including painful diabetic neuropathy, non-surgical refractory back pain and upper limb and neck pain, how those will affect the market for SCS and potential market growth once those indications are approved
15:53 The status of Medtronic’s digital health initiatives, CareGuidePro, ECAPs sensing, patient-reported outcomes and future technologies, including the role of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning. What will drive growth in the market for SCS.
19:57 Medtronic’s deep brain stimulation technology and strategy behind the Rune Labs relationship, including the use of data-enabled therapies to inform clinical care and decision-making to optimize closed-loop therapies using multiple data sources, wearables and smart algorithms.
21:06 How DBS closed-loop works in stimulating local field potentials (LFPs). How using data can affect DBS patient outcomes, identify treatment candidates, increase referrals to movement disorder specialists, provide real-time intelligence on DBS patients and whether this will help drive growth and referrals to Medtronic DBS.
23:41 The future of DBS, including remote programming. Medtronic DBS business OUS, including the DBS market in China.
25:26 How COVID has impacted Medtronic’s DBS replacements versus de novo placements. Reimbursement and pricing for Percept DBS. Innovations in the pipeline for Medtronic DBS, including closed-loop therapy, rechargeable devices, simplified programming, battery innovations and addressing challenges with interoperability across the med device ecosystem.
32:20 What’s next for Medtronic Neuromodulation.
To download a complete transcript of the interview with Dave Anderson and Charlie Covert, please click the button below.