Although the COVID-19 roller coaster was a tough ride in Q220, Soft Tissue Fixation was stepping out and looking good in Q320

When an unpredictable COVID-19 roller coaster hit the tracks, companies saw revenue plummet in Q220 as stay-at-home orders were implemented (mid-March) and elective surgeries were canceled or postponed indefinitely. The impact of COVID-19 that forced government-imposed restrictions was felt throughout the 2

With restrictions lifted during Q320, the trauma segment rebounded from the prior quarter as procedural volumes increased and revenues hit pre-COVID levels.

In the absence of strict COVID restrictions, the jump ball went to the return of healthy trauma volumes during Q320. Major players cited quarterly growth in line with previous years. Q320 picked up the pace with the US Trauma Market leading the charge, up +4.6%, while the EU and ROW declined.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 Trauma Market Recap* are:

Orthopedic Robotic Installations Continued to Shatter Expectations in Q320

Orthopedic robotics is still in the early stages of adoption with SmartTRAK estimating that more than 25% of US hospitals have a robot and that fewer than 18% of TKA procedures in the US will have been performed robotically by YE2020. However, Stryker* noted in its Q320 earnings call that orthopedic robotic adoption (MAKO*) has started to reach an inflection point with an uptick in momentum that includes increasing interest, multiple installations in centers, placements into teaching hospitals and a shift to ASCs. Increasing competition from Zimmer Biomet’s* ROSA* and the launch of Smith & Nephew’s* CORI* second-generation robotic platform, has helped to push accounts that were thinking about purchasing a robot to follow through.

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 CAS Ortho Market Recap* are:

Continuing robotic implant pull-through and achievement of enabling technology milestones reflect increasing importance of CAS Spine technology in Q320.

Similar to market dynamics in recon robotics, spine robotics are beginning to reach a tipping point in market acceptance. In its Q320 earnings call, CEO Dave Demski noted that Globus Medical* is seeing increasing interest in its Excelsius GPS* robot and that the Company is in a different part of the robotic adoption curve, with surgeons well beyond their initial skepticism as robots have become more mainstream. Globus and Medtronic* have the strongest positions in enabling technology and robotics in spine. However, competition will be heating up over the next several years.

Orthopedics market stages a third-quarter rally while navigating a new norm.

As the US healthcare system adjusts to the “new” norm brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Orthobiologics market rallied in Q320, ending the quarter up +2.3% YoY. 

Among the many topics, including company revenues, shares, charts and expert analysis, covered in the comprehensive Q320 Orthobio Market Recap* are:

Return of elective procedures in Q320 fanned the flames of Extremities growth.

The return of elective procedures, along with the opening up of the US, fanned the flames of growth in the US with the Extremities Market returning to pre-COVID growth levels in Q320. Strength in both the Upper Extremities and Foot & Ankle Market fueled the fire with US Extremities heating up with +6.6% growth, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. The US Shoulder Replacement market segment brought the heat in US Upper Extremities which grew +6.3%, while Foot & Ankle Fixation and Ankle Replacement were also up, adding fuel to the fire in the Foot & Ankle market segment.

Orchid Orthopedic Solutions CEO Nate Folkert discusses Orchid and the changing landscape of contract manufacturing

With locations around the globe, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions has partnered with established medical device companies, start-ups and surgeon entrepreneurs. The Company, which was established in 2005, has evolved to include facilities at 13 locations worldwide offering a range of services from contract design and development through finished goods manufacturing and packaging.

Orchid CEO Nate Folkert discusses his recent transition from the device company side of the Orthopedic business to the supply side, the evolving nature of the supply side business and the changes that have come about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on the following video to listen to SmartTRAK’s interview with Folkert recorded live via Zoom (15:09 min). A complete transcript of the interview, with a link to download it, is also provided below.

Rising COVID cases in the US casting shadows of doubt on ongoing rebound for the Spine market. 

Quarterly results hint at a sustained rebound for the Spine market even as the US faces a surge of COVID cases. WW Spine Hardware revenues were up as surgeons worked through a backlog of patients postponed due to COVID-19. The US Spinal Fusion Market saw a +3.6% uptick in Q320, with the US Disc Replacement market, VCF and Dynamic Devices all showing growth, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard.

In an October Needham Spine & Robotics Expert Call, Spine surgeon Dr. Peter Whang noted that he and his peers were operating at full capacity at the time with a large backlog of patients to work through. In order to catch up on cases, accommodations are being made with extended clinic hours and elective cases scheduled on weekends. Dr. Whang affirms that COVID has accelerated the shift of spine procedures to an ASC setting and notes that ASC cases recovered faster and will be more resistant to any restrictions due to future COVID spikes.

Among the many topics covered in the comprehensive Q320 Spine Market Recap* are:

SmartTRAK highlights what’s new in orthopedics and sports medicine, with a spotlight on Smith & Nephew (SNN). We constantly monitor the worldwide MedTech industry, sifting through the noise to present to our subscribers the most relevant international news, trends, new products, patents, research, financial data and competitor developments in the global life sciences industry.

The following is a sampling of recent market updates covering Smith & Nephew that were compiled, reviewed and posted in real time by our SmartTRAK analysts covering the markets for Computer Assisted Surgery, Extremities, OrthoBio, Soft Tissue Fixation, Total Joints and Trauma.

Companies turn to M&A deals to help them climb the Extremities mountain in the face of market challenges resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic

No less than six notable acquisitions have taken place or been announced in the Extremities Market in 2020 despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Q220, the US Extremities Market dropped -25% with Upper Extremities down -27.3% YoY and the Foot & Ankle segment at -21.1%, according to SmartTRAK Financial Dashboard. Despite this fall due to the shutdown of elective procedures in Q2 and the subsequent struggles to gain ground as patients return for surgery, these companies are climbing the mountain to gain share and build their presence in Extremities.