Deep Dive: Page 3

Industry insights from our journalists


  • Medtronic's robotic spine market lead threatened as smaller rivals look to edge in

    Medtronic and Globus Medical are currently in a "two pony race" in the space, but market share can be stolen as other companies launch systems and adoption grows.

    Ricky Zipp • April 9, 2021
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    Robotic Surgery/MedTech Dive
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    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.

    Ricky Zipp • March 18, 2021
  • Members of the Army and Air National Guard from across several states have been activated under Operation COVID-19 to support federal, state and local efforts. (
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    The image by The National Guard is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    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.

    Greg Slabodkin • March 17, 2021
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    Adeline Kon/MedTech Dive
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    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.

    Ricky Zipp • March 16, 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.

    Greg Slabodkin • March 15, 2021
  • Hospitals lift curtain on prices, revealing giant swings for hips, knees and more

    At a Sutter hospital in San Francisco, a joint replacement ranges from $22,865 to $101,571, accordind to a Healthcare Dive analysis of data hospitals are required to report as of January. 

    Samantha Liss and Nami Sumida • March 11, 2021
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    Brian Tucker / BioPharma Dive
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    4 healthcare antitrust issues to watch

    The FTC is looking to get more aggressive with anticompetitive tie-ups while states eye ways to beef up oversight. And if handed the reins of HHS, Xavier Becerra would likely put an antitrust lens to potential rules.

    Samantha Liss • March 4, 2021
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    Fotolia
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    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.

    Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 29, 2021
  • 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.

    Ricky Zipp • Jan. 29, 2021
  • Abbott, Edwards focus on mitral valve as market projected to rival TAVR

    Companies have zeroed in on TAVR in recent years, but in 2021 and beyond, experts and industry are looking to the mitral market for the next big structural heart splash.

    Ricky Zipp • Jan. 25, 2021
  • MDR-IVDR bottleneck persists as EU launches 1st Eudamed module

    "Very few notified bodies at this moment in time are taking new products on under the old directive, because a medical device doesn't just get certified overnight," an official at Ireland's National Standards Authority said.

    Nicholas Wallace • Dec. 14, 2020
  • Boston Scientific's Lotus ditch creates 'duopoly' in growing TAVR market

    Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic are now the primary rivals in the transcatheter aortic valve replacement market, which analysts expect to rapidly grow in coming years.

    Ricky Zipp • Dec. 8, 2020
  • COVID-19's impacts on medtech industry operations
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    Adeline Kon/MedTech Dive
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    5 ways COVID-19 is reshaping the medtech industry

    Remote tech, clinical trials and marketing are a few of the areas disrupted by the pandemic this year — with changes that look set to stick around.

    Maria Rachal and Greg Slabodkin • Oct. 1, 2020
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    Photo by Getty; photo illustration by Michelle Rock / Medtech Dive

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    Coronavirus testing hits a wall: Where do we go from here?

    As LabCorp and Quest are backlogged in delivering molecular test results, some public health officials are calling for a shift in testing approach from slow and accurate to fast and good enough to meet demand.

    Greg Slabodkin • July 27, 2020
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    Photo by Getty; photo illustration by Michelle Rock / Medtech Dive

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    Medtechs reboot with patients, providers after elective surgeries bottom out

    Recovery of procedures critical to device companies came quicker than many in the industry expected. Now, device makers are adapting as business volumes normalize and COVID-19 continues to spread.

    Maria Rachal • July 27, 2020
  • Members of the Army and Air National Guard from across several states have been activated under Operation COVID-19 to support federal, state and local efforts. (
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    The image by The National Guard is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    No silver bullet: LabCorp and Quest hawk return-to-work COVID-19 tests but employers not rushing in

    One employer group official noted "hype" around antibody testing with inconclusive evidence about the immunity of individuals who test positive for the antibodies. 

    Greg Slabodkin • June 22, 2020
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    Getty Images
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    How tariffs ravaged the COVID-19 medical supply chain

    Months into the pandemic, the U.S. faces an ongoing shortage of PPE, with some of those products still subject to tariffs.

    Deborah Abrams Kaplan • May 29, 2020
  • Employers can expect telehealth growth to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, sources told HR Dive.
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    Kendall Davis/MedTech Dive
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    Telehealth is having a moment. What does its future look like after COVID-19?

    Employers should expect workers to embrace telehealth post pandemic, sources told HR Dive, even if concerns about billing and security persist.

    Ryan Golden • May 7, 2020
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    Brian Tucker/MedTech Dive
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    Sunlight doesn't dent industry funding to doctors over half-decade

    While many manufacturers tell MedTech Dive boosted spending can be attributed to M&A, watchdogs say the payments can sometimes represent a conflict of interest for doctors.

    Maria Rachal and David Lim • Dec. 12, 2019
  • Dexcom app outage highlights communication pitfalls for device makers

    "This isn't the main course of what Dexcom offers. It's a side dish," said one parent of a child with Type 1 diabetes. "A good portion of our community has looked at it as a main course."​

    Maria Rachal • Dec. 10, 2019
  • Ethylene oxide plant closures put US on 'cusp of a major medical logistical failure'

    FDA should consider asking HHS Secretary Alex Azar to declare a public health emergency and override state legislation to get sterilization plants back online, one advisory panel member said.

    David Lim • Nov. 8, 2019
  • Retail makes its case, telehealth and voice tech dominate: 6 takeaways from HLTH19

    Consumerism has its limits, interoperability rules face execution challenges and more from Las Vegas.

    Rebecca Pifer • Nov. 6, 2019
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    Deal wave expected as private equity eyes orthopaedic practices

    The business of replacing hips and knees is a lucrative area for investors as joint replacements are set to rise and care migrates to outpatient settings.

    Samantha Liss • Oct. 25, 2019
  • Pharmacogenetic test makers cheer UnitedHealth coverage. Other payers aren't there yet.

    "I've been concerned that the hype around pharmacogenetics, at least for depression, has gotten out ahead of the data," James Potash, director of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University, said.

    Graison Dangor • Aug. 27, 2019
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    Brian Tucker
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    Looming EPA ethylene oxide rules hang over device supply chain

    The medical device industry is lobbying Capitol Hill and statehouses, warning limited access to the sterilant could pose deadly disruptions.

    David Lim • June 25, 2019