Latest Medtech News

1 | Competition will heat up.

After long enjoying an overwhelming market share, Intuitive is facing more competitors this year. Not only is the competition coming from well-established medtech companies like Stryker, Medtronic and J&J, but also from new market entrants with specialty applications and modular concepts with smaller devices that are easier to move around. [...]

2 | Look for expanded use of surgical robots in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).

There has been a rush to install orthopedic robots in ASCs, and that trend will continue this year as large-joint replacement continues to grow, Morningstar analyst Debbie Wang recently told MedTech Dive. Stryker and Zimmer Biomet are adding shoulder features to their surgical robots, the report notes. Spine surgery also has the potential to benefit from an expanding focus on robotics, according to Wang. [...]

3 | AI will continue to play a larger role in surgical robots.

Stryker's Mako Shoulder robotic surgical assistant for shoulder replacement and Mako Spine for spine-replacement surgeries use an AI technology called Blueprint that helps surgeons better understand shoulder deformities and their patients’ pathology to predict potential challenges and evaluate different implant options. [...]

Medtech has already seen a strong showing of M&A activity this month, starting with Stryker announcing its intention to buy Inari Medical in a deal valued at $4.9 billion. Next came Boston Scientific pulling the trigger on Bolt Medical, a company it had invested in since 2019. We've even seen some acquisition activity on the supplier side of medtech, including Geon Performance Solutions acquiring Foster, and Phillips Medisize buying Vectura Group.

Is it too soon to get our hopes up for more to come on the medtech M&A front in 2025? We've combed through presentations from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that wrapped up last week, along with recent earnings reports, to find out which medtech companies are hungry for M&A this year and which companies are likely to be a bit more picky with their capital allocations. [...]

Abbott CEO: There's opportunities in med-tech, there's opportunities in diagnostics, and we're in a great position, and it allows us to be selective. [...]

J&J CEO: Larger opportunities have to be seen more like outliers. [...]

Medtronic CEO: We're on the hunt for tuck-in M&A. [...]

Boston Scientific CFO: The world is our oyster relative to M&A. [...]

GE HealthCare: Strong balance sheet allows for organic investment and opportunistic M&A. [...]