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 the Spine and Orthopedic Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS) markets. Our daily updates cover the latest news and up-to-date intel on competitors, revenues, products, patents, trends and research in CAS. Companies covered include Exactech, DePuy Synthes, THINK Surgical, Subtle Medical, CurvSmith & Nephew, Surgalign, Medtronic and others.

The following is a sampling of market updates covering recently published studies, articles and clinical trials in orthopedic regenerative medicine that were curated, reviewed and posted in real time by Elise Wolf, SmartTRAK’s General Manager, Computer-Assisted Surgery.

Changes proposed in the CMS 2021 Proposed Rules could weigh heavily on the Spine market if enacted.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its Proposed Rules for the Physician Fee Schedule as well as the Outpatient and ASC Payment System for calendar year 2021. There were a number of new and unanticipated proposals within each of the Rules that are likely to have a profound impact on spinal surgery should they be adopted in the Final Rules later this year. A few of the highlights, including those concerning the Physician Fee Schedules and Hospital Outpatient and ASC Payment Systems, are included in the complete article.

Tracking the surge of Spine M&A activity during COVID-19.

The med device market downturn related to COVID-19 has led to a notable uptick in M&A activity across the board, with a number of acquisitions that will impact the Spine market.

Recent Deals
Perhaps the most notable deal has been Medtronic's* (MDT) agreement to acquire Medicrea, a manufacturer of custom spine implants, for about €7.00 per share, a premium of 22% over the closing price of shares on July 14. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2020.

Companies like startup TrackX Technology are taking navigation technology to the next level to provide real-time instrument tracking while minimizing radiation exposure during minimally invasive spine procedures.

Enabling technologies, including robotics and navigation systems in spine surgery, are here to stay and were on display at the Spine Summit 2020 meeting held in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 5-8. While navigation has been around for decades, companies like startup TrackX Technology are taking the technology to the next level to provide real-time instrument tracking while minimizing radiation exposure during minimally invasive spine procedures.

The WW Spine Hardware market saw a return to growth in Q319 with +3.6% growth, the highest growth rate this market has seen in at least 2 years. An uptick in procedure volumes across the board drove robust US market growth of +5.7%. WFS analysts estimate the Q319 Spine market (excluding Infuse) accelerated 90bps sequentially on a stacked two-year basis with Medtronic, Globus and NuVasive taking share from DePuy Synthes, Stryker and Zimmer Biomet.