Are you looking for a position that gives you a big picture view of everything that is going on in the world of life sciences? Do you have business experience in the medical device industry? If so, we would love to talk with you.

We are BioMedGPS, the creators of the SmartTRAK platform. We are the leading strategic advisory and healthcare analytics provider in the life sciences industry. Our team is once again expanding and seeking an Account Manager who can grow with us. The Account Manager will be responsible for creating and maintaining strategic relationships with our medical device clients.

Procedure volume recovery is not the only trend on SmartTRAK’s radar

Procedure volume recovery continues to be a trend on everyone’s radar from industry execs to healthcare providers. In Q122, the Knee Replacement Market in the US seemed to experience a much stronger recovery than Hips based on YoY growth rates, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. However, Knees faced a much easier YoY comp as more knee procedures were postponed in Q121 compared to hips due to their more elective nature. Putting this into perspective, US Hip Market growth along with Knees reinforced the feeling that 2022 procedures will be closer to “normal” as the Total Joints Market recovers from the downsizing caused by COVID.  And, as the industry’s bandwidth for focusing on the pandemic decreases, the emphasis on other trends grows.

Among the many topics covered in detail in our comprehensive Q122 Total Joints Market Recap* are:

Dr. Marc Russo discusses dorsal horn dendrite stimulation, a new paradigm for SCS, and making it available to all manufacturers in an interview with SmartTRAK at INS 2022

Dr. Marc Russo, president of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS), presented exciting new research on dorsal horn dendrite stimulation (DHDS), a new paradigm for spinal cord stimulation (SCS), at the INS 15th World Congress, held May 21 to 26, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. In an interview with SmartTRAK, Dr. Russo discusses the proposed mechanism of action for DHDS compared to traditional dorsal column stimulation, six-month study results in 27 patients and what’s next in terms of his research. 

And, in an unprecedented move, Dr. Russo decided not to patent DHDS and said he is giving the novel waveform as a “gift” to physicians, industry and patients, noting that it is deployable on all current SCS devices within the product range. To find out more about DHDS, including its characteristics and Dr. Russo’s vision for a more advanced version that could theoretically even “cure pain,” click on the video below of the interview conducted shortly after his presentation outside the Barcelona International Convention Centre (12:02 min). A link to download the  complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.

WUWHS – a hybrid event with a local touch

Back Into the Water
After having been postponed several times, the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) finally took place in Abu Dhabi in early March and SmartTRAK was there. Mölnlycke* came in hot, launching Avance Solo* in the region, whereas most other companies were represented by local distributors. SmartTRAK noted that the hybrid format was an interesting concept, unfortunately, impacted by technical issues.

The Olympics of Wound Care
WUWHS is similar to the Olympics in the sense that it is an event with a global focus held every fourth year, every time by a new organizer. Like the Olympics, the WUWHS was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19, the last one was held six years ago, and the pandemic also impacted both attendance and format. A negative COVID test was required both to enter and leave Abu Dhabi, which likely made attendees participate online rather than in person. SmartTRAK estimates that 20% to 30% of the participants were there in person and 70% to 80% participated online. Unfortunately, the event was full of technical issues and there were also many speakers missing when they were supposed to present, which brought down the overall experience for those who attended in person.

Mölnlycke Launches Avance Solo in the Region
Mölnlycke overshadowed all other companies at the event. It had the largest exhibition, an Innovation Area lounge, a high international presence, held the most lunch symposia and was the only company doing a major product launch.

The Company launched its ...

Jack Kalavritinos, Former HHS/FDA Senior Official and Principal of JK Strategies, discusses the importance and benefits of government affairs in medtech

Jack Kalavritinos is the Founder and Principal of JK Strategies, a communications and public policy firm that helps organizations develop winning communication and policy strategies. Jack is also a former senior government official and appointee in HHS, FDA and DOL. Jack has decades of Washington, DC government, political and business experience including in the medtech sector with Covidien.

In this interview with SmartTRAK, Jack shares his thoughts on the benefits to medtech commercial leaders of developing collaborative relationships with their government affairs colleagues. Specifically, SmartTRAK’s interview with Jack covers the next phases of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the potential impact of the midterm elections and ways companies can work with the FDA.

To find out more, including Jack’s take on how medtech commercial leaders can develop relationships with their Representatives and Senators, click on the following video recorded live via Zoom. Outlined below are specific interview topics by the minute. To download a complete transcript of the interview, click here.

The SmartTRAK team will be attending the upcoming International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) in The Bahamas and we would love to schedule some time to meet. We are particularly excited about this year’s conference program and speakers.

Our team of expert analysts have their finger on the pulse on the spine industry trends, news, financial data and competitor developments. We would like to meet to hear your perspectives and views and discuss how SmartTRAK can help you make more informed strategic business decisions.

Watch the video below to meet Courtney Sheedy, SmartTRAK's GM, Spine

Set up a time to meet with us  at ISASS 2022

Build an Enterprise of Experts, so your
Company can build the next big thing.

In the market for neuromodulation, companies are developing spinal cord stimulation (SCS), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other stimulation devices designed to treat a vast range of indications. Current and emerging devices are addressing care gaps in the treatment of chronic pain and movement disorders as well as epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, depression, pelvic floor dysfunction, peripheral artery disease, paralysis and spinal cord injuries.

Companies competing in the market for neuromodulation include Abbott*, Boston Scientific*, Medtronic*, Nevro*, Saluda Medical*, Newronika* and Axonics, just to name a few. To keep you up to speed on what’s new in neuromodulation, SmartTRAK highlights market updates covering clinical developments, patents, new research and other top news from Spring 2022.

SmartTRAK's Anne Staylor, Executive Editor, VP &GM of Neurotherapies, is in Barcelona attending the INS 15th Congress.

The following is just a small sampling of recent neuromodulation updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted daily by our SmartTRAK analysts.

Clinical Developments

• Medtronic*
• • Medtronic announced the first patient implanted in its “Evaluation of Long-term Patient Experience with a Medtronic Closed-Loop SCS System” study of its investigative, closed-loop, ECAP-responsive device to treat back and limb pain. The prospective study is enrolling 90 patients across 10 centers in Australia.
  • A University of Florida-sponsored eight patient clinical trial will evaluate DBS to treat Tourette syndrome targeting two brain regions in each hemisphere of each patient and using two leads in each hemisphere connected to two Percept PC devices. Estimated study completion is Aug 2026. clinicaltrials.gov
    
    
•  Boston Scientific*
• • Boston Scientific received FDA approval of its latest image-guided programming software, Vercise Neural Navigator with STIMVIEW XT. Developed in collaboration with Brainlab*, STIMVIEW XT provides real-time visualization of lead position and simulation modeling for Parkinson’s Disease and essential tremor treatment.

Emerging from the COVID-19 era, wound care innovation is driven by smaller companies

In April, the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring 2022 returned to an in-person format for the first time since 2019. Though the turnout was below expectations, attendees enjoyed reconnecting with clinicians, engaging with vendors and catching up with colleagues and competitors.

Despite being three years since the last SAWC Spring, large wound care companies like Smith+Nephew* (SNN), Mölnlycke*, 3M* and others were oddly without major product introductions. SmartTRAK has learned that extended FDA review timelines and supply challenges may be playing a significant role in this reality. Companies have publicly commented that innovation and new product launches are planned for 2022, but timelines must have slipped past the SAWC Spring deadlines.

Regardless, innovation was not completely absent from SAWC Spring as smaller companies introduced new products and more companies exhibited IT-driven diagnostic, measurement and data-capture technologies.

(The SmartTRAK team will be attending the upcoming European Wound Management Association (EWMA) event May 23-25 in Paris. We would love to schedule some time to meet and hear your perspectives and views and discuss how SmartTRAK can help you make more informed strategic business decisions.)

In this article, SmartTRAK highlights new products and novel technologies exhibited at SAWC Spring 2022.

Increased wound prevalence meets new software and solutions at WCT 2022.

There was a positive energy in the room at the 5^th Wound Care Today (WCT) conference as industry and clinicians came together in Milton Keynes. COVID-19 infection rates remain high in the UK but this is not being reflected in hospitalizations or deaths, leading to a national determination to move forward without restrictions. The pandemic has, however, shaped the priorities of those present and in a range of discussions. SmartTRAK encountered a commercial eagerness to make up for lost time and a looming burden of chronic wounds.

The SmartTRAK team will be attending the upcoming European Wound Management Association (EWMA) event May 23-25 in Paris. We would love to schedule some time to meet and hear your perspectives and views and discuss how SmartTRAK can help you make more informed strategic business decisions.

From economics to the ASC shift, SmartTRAK looks at the trends affecting the Total Joints Market

The start of the new year did not play out as so many of us had hoped. Heading into 2022, the next COVID surge reared its ugly head with the Omicron variant storming through countries around the globe. Healthcare facilities once again postponed elective procedures due to capacity issues and/or staff or patients being diagnosed with COVID. Overall inflation rose to a level that hasn’t been seen since the early 1980s. Looking ahead, is there a silver lining in this dark cloud? SmartTRAK believes the forecast is not all doom and gloom. Let’s look at some of the trends affecting the climate of the Total Joints market.

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