COVID-19: Page 20
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Boston Scientific sees COVID-19 electives pressure in Q1, recovery in second half
A hit of 7.7% in sales, driven by drops in neuromodulation and interventional cardiology, missed Wall Street expectations in the medtech's fourth quarter report.
By Ricky Zipp • Feb. 3, 2021 -
PerkinElmer predicts sharp falloff in COVID-19 sales this year
In a relatively rare admission by a testing company, execs said they expect around 50% of 2021 coronavirus sales to come in the first quarter, beyond which vaccines are tipped to drive down demand.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Feb. 3, 2021 -
DoD awards Ellume $231M to increase US production of at-home, OTC COVID-19 test
The Australian diagnostics company will use the funding to establish a U.S. manufacturing facility that is projected to increase production capacity by 640,000 tests per day by December.
By Susan Kelly • Feb. 2, 2021 -
Thermo Fisher Q4 fueled by COVID-19, but testing demand seen slowing in 2021
J.P. Morgan analyst Tycho Peterson noted the medtech's expected testing drop-off in 2021 is "steeper than what we've heard from others such as Hologic and Abbott."
By Greg Slabodkin • Feb. 1, 2021 -
From COVID-19 EUAs to 'insidious' remote care risks: ECRI's top 10 medtech hazards
Risks highlighted by the watchdog include FDA emergency use authorizations and the rapid adoption of telehealth, both of which have increased during the coronavirus pandemic.
By Susan Kelly • Feb. 1, 2021 -
Siemens Q1 boosted by antigen tests, routine work normalizing
"We should not miss the fact that a fair share of this revenue growth would likely not have been there without the pandemic-related demand," CFO Jochen Schmitz acknowledged.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Feb. 1, 2021 -
4 key trends for medtech in 2021
With resurgence of the coronavirus and emergence of more contagious strains, COVID-19 challenges, but also opportunities, lie ahead for medical device and diagnostics companies.
By Greg Slabodkin • Jan. 29, 2021 -
Deep Dive
3 big predictions for digital health in 2021
As tech and data sharing become more pervasive, healthcare will likely pivot to being more predictive and telehealth will evolve, giving rise to new modalities of care. This will force companies to invest more in cybersecurity.
By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2021 -
Deep Dive
CGM, insulin pump players look to 2021 as watershed year for diabetes wearables market
Insulet, Dexcom and Medtronic have product launches set for this year, and all look to capitalize on the recent skyrocketing of virtual care due to the coronavirus pandemic.
By Ricky Zipp • Jan. 29, 2021 -
Q&A
New iRhythm CEO on national pricing setback, Medtronic market expansion lessons
Michael Coyle will try to build off the cardiac monitoring company's recent success amid a telehealth boom. Shares have jumped by over 175% in the last 12 months.
By Ricky Zipp • Jan. 28, 2021 -
Vaccine makers prepare response as coronavirus mutations raise alarms
So far, both Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines appear to work against more transmissible variants, but preparation is underway for the day they don't.
By Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 28, 2021 -
Hospitals lost $20B by pausing electives last year
The slowdown in elective care also hurt medtechs like Abbott and Johnson & Johnson. The industry expects declines to continue into 2021 after procedure volumes dropped again in the fourth quarter due to the virus resurgence.
By Shannon Muchmore • Jan. 28, 2021 -
Edwards' US TAVR sales fall as COVID-19 disrupts referrals
Analysts expected U.S. transcatheter aortic valve replacement sales to be flat in the fourth quarter but they fell by mid-single digits. Still, the company maintains guidance for global TAVR growth of 15-20% this year.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Jan. 28, 2021 -
Stryker falls short of Q4 sales amid electives pullback, robotics a bright spot
Double-digit growth in China was offset by hits in business in the U.S. and Europe. CEO Kevin Lobo told investors after volumes rebounded through October, large declines began in November and December.
By Ricky Zipp • Jan. 27, 2021 -
Biden invokes DPA to combat supply shortages, but experts say it's no 'magic wand'
AdvaMed early in the pandemic urged against using the Defense Production Act's powers, though some companies were more open. The device lobby last week asked the administration to coordinate with industry before taking action.
By Matt Leonard • Jan. 27, 2021 -
Abbott Q4 beat driven by COVID-19 test demand, devices come in flat
CEO Robert Ford said the company exited 2020 with "tremendous momentum" and forecast 35% growth for this year.
By Greg Slabodkin • Jan. 27, 2021 -
BD study suggests its COVID-19 antigen test better than PCR at detecting infectious individuals
The findings add to a debate on to how to use the fast-acting tests and their potential to reduce virus spread by enabling interventions. Still, questions remain about how well these diagnostics perform on asymptomatic people.
By Greg Slabodkin • Jan. 26, 2021 -
Ventilators, imaging drive GE healthcare profits up 27% as procedures even out
"Regionally, public healthcare markets such as Europe and China have been stronger than private markets, particularly the U.S., India and Latin America," CFO Carolina Dybeck Happe told investors.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Jan. 26, 2021 -
J&J misses Wall Street on hips, knees and spine amid global elective care slowdown
CEO Alex Gorsky predicted challenges to persist in 2021 but suggested that improvement is in sight. "The resiliency and the ability of hospital systems to continue with elective surgeries has improved quite significantly," he said.
By Ricky Zipp • Jan. 26, 2021 -
Philips beats Q4 expectations as COVID-19 boosts connected care, slows procedures
The Dutch conglomerate will continue to be active on the M&A front, CEO Frans van Houten told investors, after striking two deals in the space over the past month worth more than $3.4 billion.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Jan. 25, 2021 -
Intuitive braces for bumpy 2021 as COVID-19 resurgence hits robotics
The company, which gave details on its fourth quarter, is not giving guidance for the year amid uncertainty. Shares fell nearly 5% Friday morning.
By Nick Paul Taylor • Jan. 22, 2021 -
4 key trends for payers and providers in 2021
The COVID-19 crisis may spur speedier adoption of value-based care and partnerships between health systems and payers in the year ahead.
By Samantha Liss • Jan. 22, 2021 -
Q&A
ACLA seeks lab reimbursement changes as need for COVID-19 testing surges
Julie Khani, president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, which includes Quest and LabCorp, says there are coverage gaps and that clarifications are needed for which tests are paid for by insurers.
By Greg Slabodkin • Jan. 22, 2021 -
Biden appoints Janet Woodcock as acting FDA chief, plans COVID-19 testing board
The longtime agency staffer is reportedly being considered to permanently fill the role. The president also named acting directors for HHS and CMS.
By Shannon Muchmore • Jan. 21, 2021 -
Boston Scientific bets on cardiac wearables with $925M Preventice buy
The deal is the latest in the fast-growing space, coming on the heels of Hillrom's $375 million BardyDx buy on Tuesday and Philips' $2.8 billion purchase of BioTelemetry last month.
By Ricky Zipp • Jan. 21, 2021