Analysts tip surgeries to rebound. Rising COVID-19 cases threaten those forecasts.

Two Wall Street reviews suggest people are visiting hospitals more and are increasingly comfortable with undergoing elective care, but they come amid the CDC chief's warning that rising hospitalizations may jeopardize progress.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 30, 2021

Abbott, Quest, Roche among cos pitching K-12 COVID-19 test plan to tap into Biden's $10B fund

A who's who of sector companies are teaming with the Rockefeller Foundation on the proposal. The industry stands to benefit from widespread school testing as symptomatic demand diminishes.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 26, 2021

Hospitals flailed amid COVID-19 crisis, are unsure of future, OIG says

Executives said they were worried about their workers experiencing trauma and concerned a shrinking recruitment pool for nurses could exacerbate staffing shortages.

By Ron Shinkman • March 25, 2021

Thermo Fisher pivots COVID-19 approach with air detection, school testing

The company is looking to new strategies as vaccines drive down cases and institutions like schools, hospitals and businesses re-open.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 25, 2021

Roche bets COVID-19 vaccination drive to favor PCR over antigen testing

Wall Street analysts contend the Swiss diagnostic company's argument could bode well for Abbott, Hologic, Thermo Fisher Scientific and PerkinElmer.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 24, 2021

Cancer screenings bounced back after steep pandemic declines, Rand report shows

The rate of women seeking mammograms was higher by the end of July than in the months leading up to the pandemic, though colonoscopies did not return to pre-pandemic levels, researchers found.

By Samantha Liss • March 23, 2021

AstraZeneca, Oxford vaccine prevents COVID-19 in big US study amid controversy overseas

A two-shot regimen was 79% effective at protecting people from COVID-19, which should support the fourth clearance of a vaccine in the U.S. and calm safety concerns abroad. 

By Ben Fidler • March 22, 2021

FDA grants EUA to COVID-19 screening device using machine learning

While the product gives institutions another screening tool for those without symptoms, Tiger Tech faces competition with antigen testing scaling up. 

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 22, 2021

EU group proposes minimum standards for rapid antibody COVID-19 tests

Antibody tests of questionable accuracy proliferated on both sides of the Atlantic early in the pandemic, leading the U.S. and European Union to try to raise standards. 

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 19, 2021

ASCs gave medtechs alternate care sites amid pandemic hospital elective shutdown

After surgeries moved to ambulatory surgery centers during the pandemic's upending of non-emergency care, experts and industry believe some procedures may never go back.

By Ricky Zipp • March 19, 2021

FDA's 1st full OK to BioFire's COVID-19 test clears shorter path for others

Full agency approval of the diagnostic, now permitted to be marketed beyond the public health emergency, lets other companies secure non-emergency authorizations through a 510(k).

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 19, 2021

Abbott awarded $255M federal contract for rapid COVID-19 antigen tests

The company will initially provide 50 million of its point-of-care diagnostics to HHS for use in Florida and Maine, with the potential for up to $766 million under the eight-month deal.  

By Greg Slabodkin • March 18, 2021

Robotics demand held firm as pandemic pummeled electives

Intuitive Surgical, Stryker and Zimmer Biomet all saw procedure volumes drop in 2020 as electives shut down. However, system demand remained strong despite the financial hit to hospitals.

By Ricky Zipp • March 18, 2021

Biden commits $12B for COVID-19 testing to reopen schools, address disparities

While not identifying company recipients, the administration called out both PCR tests that deliver results within 24 hours and point-of-care antigen kits as suitable for school screening programs.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 18, 2021

From labs to homes: where COVID-19 testing is headed in 2021

The U.S. appears to have reached a new phase in its battle against the coronavirus with vaccinations taking precedence over tests. Whether testing will return to earlier levels is an open question.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 17, 2021

FDA backs home use of COVID-19 tests without data in asymptomatic people

The move could benefit companies like Quidel, which aims to market an over-the-counter antigen test but has been held up by the need for more data on those without symptoms.   

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 17, 2021

All eyes on elective care after a rollercoaster year for medtech

After shutdowns slammed procedure-dependent firms in 2020, industry and Wall Street are waiting to see when non-emergency surgeries return and what a comeback might look like.

By Ricky Zipp • March 16, 2021

1 year after COVID-19 hit: what's next for FDA, electives, testing and robotics

The medtech industry has ridden a roller coaster of steep demand for novel diagnostics and a plunge in once-stable business lines like hip and knee replacement surgeries.

March 15, 2021

Roche to buy GenMark for $1.8B to add multiplex testing

The Swiss company said the deal will give it access to a novel technology for testing a range of pathogens with one patient sample. William Blair analysts expect "potentially intense bidding wars" in the sector in coming months.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 15, 2021

5 things medtech can expect from FDA in 2021

"What you saw under the prior administration was this concept of a kinder, softer FDA to industry," said Dennis Gucciardo, partner at Morgan Lewis. Experts now expect a shift, including more enforcement activity.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 15, 2021

FDA flags false positives from Roche's COVID-19-flu test

The agency is asking users who suspect their systems are suffering from either issue identified by the Swiss medtech giant to stop running tests on them and contact the company.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 15, 2021

Quest eyes $2B DTC testing potential to capitalize on 'breakout' consumer growth

The lab giant's next move is to start selling an $89 at-home fecal test, targeting the colorectal cancer screening market led by Exact Sciences' Cologuard.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 12, 2021

Quidel says COVID-19 test demand is plunging. Wall Street is underwhelmed.

CEO Doug Bryant said demand plummeted between 30% and 40% in February and March compared to the fourth quarter, sending shares down 17% on Wednesday.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 11, 2021

GE Healthcare predicts growth, hike in digital investment as pandemic eases

"We are seeing procedure volumes increasing, contributing to the rebound of our pharmaceutical diagnostics business and we see sequential market growth in imaging and ultrasound," CEO Kieran Murphy said during an investor event.

By Nick Paul Taylor • March 11, 2021

Thermo Fisher, PerkinElmer broaden COVID-19 mutation tracking products

The companies will sell PCR assays to labs to enable surveillance, coming amid warnings that the U.S. is "flying blind" when it comes to tracking rapidly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 10, 2021