Category Archives: Medical Device Manufacturers
P/E Ratios in Healthcare: Can You Trust Them?
In terms of P/E ratios, what follows are the top five in the Health Care Technology sector. Keep in mind, a higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying more for each unit of net income, so by definition, the stock is more expensive compared to companies with lower P/E ratios. But what does it really mean? Although the analysts will warn you to not compare P/E ratios between companies that aren’t in the same industry, all of the companies listed below while being in the same industry are not at all in the same line of work. MedAssets, the [...]
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The Election Has Taken Another Bite Out of Apple
Apple’s stock price slump has been fast and furious. Apple’s latest decline comes as the broad market is on pace for its worst decline of 2012 as investors reacted to President Obama’s reelection. Yesterday, shares fell as much as 4.2% to $556.04, which is a four-month low. That marks a 21% decline from the record closing high of $702.10 hit on Sept. 19. On a closing basis, the level to watch –the level that traders say would register a new bear market—is $561.68. Making matters worse for shareholders was news early Wednesday of a key supplier to Apple saying it [...]
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FDA UDI Implementation 7-years? Premier Makes Call for More Urgency
After 5 years of talking about it –lots of strenuous agreement—this past July the FDA finally released a proposed rule to create a UDI system to track medical devices. In addition to finally providing itself a way to electronically track medical tools and promptly recall any devices that could jeopardize patient safety, the FDA recognized the $16 billion other reasons that should have made this decision a no-brainer years ago. To their credit, major supply chain solution players like GHX have been way out front, encouraging the marketplace to move now versus later. GHX has been very aggressive in its [...]
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The Current Medical Device Sales Model is Unsustainable
After moderating a panel at this year’s HSCA Expo on the topic of Strengthening Ties Between GPOs and Suppliers, I did a post entitled, “Is Selling Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) a Waste of Time.” The post referenced related comments made by Premier’s VP of Business Develop and Supplier Relations, Dave Edwards, where, in short, he and the other panelists (all GPO senior executives) offered up some advice to would-be GPO suppliers that addressed their complaints about the sales process for securing contracts for new products. At the argument’s extremes, suppliers would say that GPOs stifle innovation because the process [...]
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Medtronic’s Infuse Problems Getting Worse: Congress Weighs In
Not too long ago, and without admitting to any wrongdoing, Medtronic agreed to a settlement based on allegations that the company made false and misleading statements about its Infuse Bone Graft product. Here’s a portion of the complaint: Specifically, the Defendants (Medtronic) misled shareholders regarding a near decade-long campaign to illegally promote its Infuse bone graft product for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, or so-called “off-label uses,” and concealed from shareholders the fact that the reported sales and future growth of this business line and its associated revenues was driven by misconduct that invited, and ultimately [...]
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MedAssets Hosts New Technologies and Innovation Forum
The major GPOs have been criticized for assuming the de facto role of industry “gatekeeper,” meaning they get to decide what technologies and innovations find their way into the mainstream. Although I understand the point, it never made a whole lot of sense to me, because it’s always been more advantageous for them to position themselves as “brokers.” In the last few weeks, two of the nation’s largest GPOs (Novation and MedAssets) hosted events, that in so many words are referred to as “technology and innovation” forums. Sometimes called “supplier showcases,” the obvious intent is for the GPO to provide [...]
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Preparing for Hip Replacement
With an increasingly savvy and “baby-booming marketplace” ready for more implant surgeries than at anytime in history and everyone in the implantables supply chain –including patients– paying much closer attention to all the details, I thought a little primer from the patient’s perspective might be of interest. Healthcare Matters welcomes Elizabeth Carrollton who writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com. She penned the following guest post. Thanks Elizabeth! Are you wondering what your life after hip replacement will be like? The answer to that question is that it’s largely up to you. Hip replacement is major surgery, [...]
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Vendormate Introduces “Medzo” –New Supply Chain Matching Service
Vendormate, long known as a leader in the healthcare vendor credentialing space has released a new online tool today that connects providers and a wider array of qualified vendors with far greater precision than traditional supply network utilities. The company is calling the new service “Medzo.” For healthcare providers, although Medzo may sound a lot like another searchable supplier network, that “idea” just doesn’t tell the whole story. Likewise, for suppliers seeking more streamlined paths to new business opportunities, Medzo offers them a lot more than a new place to be listed. Vendormate has built a network that already consists [...]
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Mobile Apps Enable MarKet Share Gains for BSX and C.R. Bard
The annual MM&M Awards (Medical Marketing & Media) recognize excellence in smartphone healthcare apps targeting healthcare professionals. The scope of the apps covered included medical reference libraries, tools for aiding diagnosis and prescription, promotional apps, patient record resources, med-ed apps and various programs that turn smartphones into diagnostic tools or devices. At this year’s awards recently held in New York, Infuse Medical, a provider of mobile apps and content for the medical device market, received both Gold and Silver Awards. It is the only agency to win both Gold and Silver in any category at the show. “We are very [...]
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Tech Patent Infringement Suits Approaching Tipping Point
The following post (edited) was originally published on October 6 in TNL.net. It made a specific case for Apple acquiring Nokia, but at the same time, it did a nice job of reinforcing how current patent portfolio management practice among the world’s largest technology companies is approaching a dangerous tipping point. A large portion of progress in the mobile space is dictated by the availability and ownership of patents. While Apple and Samsung are most famous for their specific fights over patented technologies and approaches, Nokia has quietly built up a very strong and relatively young patent portfolio. This past July, Envision [...]
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FedEx Summit Spotlights “Borderless Healthcare”
The interconnected view of the healthcare industry’s future was the focus of the FedEx Healthcare Summit hosted this week in New York City. The conference featured presentations and discussions with FedEx leaders and external industry experts on the changing dynamics of the healthcare industry and the need for new solutions. “As research and manufacturing increase around the world, there’s a corollary demand for global healthcare services and solutions. FedEx offers the connectivity the healthcare industry needs to harness the power of that growth,” said Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp. “As countries develop and populations expand, [...]
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FDA Approves BSX Implantable Defibrillator –No “Electrical Storms”
The U.S. FDA has granted Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) regulatory approval for its S-ICD® System, the world’s first and only commercially available subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD). The device is tailor made for roughly 850,000 U.S. patients who are considered at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The S-ICD System sits entirely below the skin without the need for electrodes or “leads” to be placed into the heart. This leaves the heart and blood vessels untouched, offering patients an alternative to transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which require leads to be placed in the heart itself. These systems have been [...]
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The World’s First Fully Integrated “Smartphone Meter”
Philosys is an interesting, decade-old contract R&D, design and manufacturing firm that you’re likely going to be hearing about. Based in South Korea, but now entering the US market with operations in New York City, the company has specialized in bringing innovative diagnostic technologies and solutions to the global healthcare marketplace. And it seems right on time with the release of its newest product, called the Gmate SMART. The first in its class and weighing in at less than 2 ounces, the Gmate SMART is being billed as “the smallest, most innovative blood glucose meter in the world.” Why should [...]
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About Time: Wharton’s Conference on Supply Chain Optimization
Last Friday, the six-month-old Wharton Supply Chain Organization hosted its inaugural conference, bringing together students, faculty and senior professionals from major companies to talk about managing the journeys of different products from seed to shelf. Senior vice presidents and other leaders from companies such as Google, IBM, Boeing and Amazon.com spoke. With over 700 attendees, the conference marks one of the largest undergraduate-focused Wharton conferences ever. “Until now, supply chains have been taboo in Wharton,” said Wharton and Engineering senior Ridhima Parvathaneni, founding president of the organization. “There was latent interest for operations management, but no way to get involved [...]
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Apple’s Value Hits Record for US-based Companies
All the talk about the “dog days of summer” certainly applies to the news cycle. There just isn’t a whole lot going on out there. But the summer season for Apple investors has always been an interesting period. Apple always launches in time to kill it over the Holiday Season and, according to all reports, this year will be no exception. Not long after reading that Apple was no longer the world’s most valuable company (PetroChina wins the prize/valued at greater than $1 trillion), Apple set a US record for its market value yesterday. In fact, Apple even blew past [...]
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Pilot Results Moves GHX Closer to First Implantables SCM Solution
GHX today announced successful results from its initial implantable device supply chain (IDSC) pilot sites. As we have been reporting, the company began rolling out the first phase of its pilot program earlier this year. With the past 12 years dedicated to creating solutions that help automate the medical-surgical supply chain, GHX understands the importance of working directly with both the supply- and demand-side through the pilot phase. It’s done it before, so it’s applying that experience now to put what it hopes will be the finishing touches on the initial launch of the IDSC –both in terms of initial [...]
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