Spine’s solid start to Q120 was derailed in March by COVID-19, leading to a -10.6% YoY decline globally.

Q120 reporting gives us the first glimpse into the effect of COVID-19 on the spinal hardware market, with the impact in the US felt starting in mid-March. A multi-dimensional survey of 902 spine surgeons around the globe revealed that 67.1% of respondents saw the cancellation of greater than 75% of their surgical cases per week in late March/early April. Global Spine J.

The WW Spine Hardware market experienced a -10.6% downturn in the quarter, with the US down -11.2%. Several companies noted they were tracking for strong Q1 growth prior to the pandemic. At the end of February, SeaSpine* reported that it was looking at another quarter of double-digit US growth, but ended up with a slight overall decline in Q1 US revenue due to March procedures being down an estimated -18% vs March 2019. 

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q120 Spine Market Recap* are:

As states begin to loosen restrictions and we try and put COVID-19 in the rear view mirror, in the words of Bill Gates, "it's going to be a while before we can get back to normal" and companies are going to have to find creative ways to stay connected and engaged while moving forward and getting work done.

The following is a small sampling of Regenerative Medicine segment updates from the past week that were compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time by our SmartTRAK analysts, who are constantly monitoring the situation and sifting through the noise to present news, analysis, studies, trial results, patents and financial data that are most relevant to our subscribers.

The Extremities Market was on track to post a strong Q120 finish but due to COVID-19 the market pulled up short

The Extremities Market was in position to post a strong finish in Q120, driven by gains in the US. But the market pulled up short due to the postponement of elective and non-urgent procedures resulting in the US Extremities Market, declining -1.9%, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard.

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q120 Extremities Market Recap* are:

We are pleased to announce that Joe Mish has joined the team at SmartTRAK as Director of Sales. Joe has 10+ years experience in medical device sales, with concentration on Joint Replacement and Spine & Robotic Technologies. Prior to joining SmartTRAK, Joe sold and implemented analytic software to manage value-based care and bundled payment, working with Stryker, LDR/ZimmerBiomet and Stryker Performance Solutions.

Meet Joe Mish:

What is your role with SmartTRAK? I will be joining the commercial team as Director of Sales.

What do you like about SmartTRAK? I’ll give you two perspectives here. First, with regards to the technology, I love the value proposition to our current and prospective customers. With the world being so volatile and business being severely disrupted (especially for surgery and device companies) being able to offer a solution to reduce risk, improve profitability and productivity makes this a fantastic time to partner with organization’s and build strong, long-lasting relationships. This was truly a deciding factor in making a career/company change. Second, with regards to the company, I love the people. Coming from multiple large Fortune 500 companies with very specific cultures, individuals and team comradery is often and easily overlooked. I have been so impressed with the professionalism, transparency and family vibe from every person I have engaged with and I have only been on board for a week! This feels like a very special group of incredibly talented people and I am honored to be a part of it.

Coming through Q120 bruised and expecting much harder punches before the calm, companies ride the COVID-19 storm

According to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard, Q120 revenue for the US Joint Fluid Replacement market was down -2.8%, which is within the range predicted by market leaders and physicians in SmartTRAK’s Impact of COVID-19 on the US Joint Fluid Replacement and Regenerative Medicine Injectable Markets for Knee OA*. Albeit revenue is down for Q120, the stay-at-home orders across US states triggered by the rapid spread of COVID-19 were not implemented until mid-March, which helped to mitigate what could have been much bigger losses. 

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q120 US Joint Fluid Replacement Market Recap* are:

COVID-19 pandemic hit the brakes mid-March resulting in a quick growth slow-down

Q120 was looking like a strong first quarter following Q420’s 4.5% YoY growth, the highest rate seen in the US Total Joints Market for several years. But, the COVID-19 pandemic and the institution of stay-at-home orders in most US states put the brakes on elective procedures in March, resulting in -4.8%, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. The postponement of procedures and the resulting downturn in revenue late in Q120 also resulted in orthopedic companies withdrawing guidance due to uncertainty about the timing of recovery.

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q120 US Total Joints Market Recap* are:

As access to healthcare continues to open up, the orthopedic industry is taking significant precautions to insure the health, safety and piece of mind of patients and caregivers and balance that with its attempt to ramp up services and procedures. The following is a small sampling of the orthopedic updates compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time by our SmartTRAK analysts, who are constantly monitoring the situation and sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to our subscribers:

Updated Survey Data Points to Recovery by Q420

.SmartTRAK discusses a new biomaterials opportunity for medical devices with Michael Ziebell, President and CEO of trū Shrimp.

Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the US with an annual consumption of 1.6 billion pounds and 90% sourced outside the US. trū Shimp has developed a unique aquaculture for raising shrimp that allows production to occur anywhere in the US, even in Minnesota. Michael Ziebell explains the unique features of the process and its ability to produce a novel biomaterial that may be tailored to meet the needs of the medical device industry.

A transcript of SmartTRAK’s interview with Michael Ziebell is below. To listen to the audio interview, click on the video (10:39 minutes). The full transcript, with a link to download a PDF, is provided below.

With social distancing and travel restrictions easing worldwide, and WHO warning of a possible second peak of the pandemic, the work continues on potential vaccines to prevent COVID-19 and treatments for those already affected by the virus. The following is a small sampling of the COVID-19 updates compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time by our SmartTRAK analysts, who are constantly monitoring the situation and sifting through the noise to present the most relevant news to our subscribers: