Johnson & Johnson Archives - Page 2 of 33

Study backs Biosense Webster low/zero fluoroscopy AFib ablation

[Image courtesy of Biosense Webster]Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s Biosense Webster announced positive findings from real-world data looking at its AFib ablation technology.

The study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of low/zero fluoroscopy AFib ablation. Results supported the use of workflows to reduce radiation exposure during catheter ablation for treating paroxysmal AFib. Data also showed sustained safety, efficacy and long-term patient outcomes comparable to traditional procedures.

Biosense Webster says its workflow is the first and only of its kind available in a radiofrequency (RF) cardiac ablation device. The FDA approved this workflow last year and the company offers it with several products in its ablation portfolio. That includes the SmartTouch SF catheter, a commonly-used catheter for RF ablation compatible with the Carto 3 mapping system.

The company says its updated workflow shows that direct imaging guidance — like ultrasound — c…

10 surgical robotics companies you need to know

The surgical robotics space saw a major shakeup last year. The da Vinci SP surgical robotics system [Image courtesy of Intuitive Surgical]“Robotics is hard. Robotics in healthcare is hard.”

Hani Abouhalka, Johnson & Johnson’s company group chair for Robotics & Digital, said those words at our DeviceTalks West event in California in October.

It pretty much sums up the situation for medtech companies large and small that sought to compete against Intuitive in the soft-tissue surgical robotics space. Despite the increased competition, Intuitive remains the undisputed leader. It’s even moving forward on a next-gen da Vinci robot.

For its part, Johnson & Johnson is sticking with plans to develop its Ottava surgical robot. J&J now plans to submit Ottava for FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) in the second half of 2024 in order to start clinical trials.

Even though it is sticking with robotic surgery, J&J laid off employees in th…

Johnson & Johnson MedTech reports 13% sales uptick in Q4, has positive ablation outlook

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) + reported more MedTech growth as its fourth-quarter results came in ahead of the consensus forecast.

Shares of JNJ rose slightly before the market opened on the back of the results.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company posted profits of $4.1 billion. That equals $1.70 per share on sales of $21.4 billion for the three months ended Jan. 1, 2024. Johnson & Johnson recorded a 28% bottom-line gain on sales growth of 7.3%.

Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share totaled $2.29. That landed 1¢ ahead of expectations on Wall Street. Sales also topped projections as analysts expected revenues totaling $20.99 billion.

“Johnson & Johnson’s full year 2023 results reflect the breadth and competitiveness of our business and our relentless focus on delivering for patients,” Joaquin Duato, chair and CEO, said in a news release. “We have entered 2024 from a po…

The biggest stories from the 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Medtronic’s Geoff Martha, Dexcom’s Kevin Sayer and J&J’s Joaquin Duato spoke at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

Some of the biggest names in medtech came together this week at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. They shared updates on financial progress, operational changes and new products, among other things.

Medtronic shared details on plans to restore earnings power, while Abbott highlighted the success of its FreeStyle Libre system. Shockwave Medical outlined its plans for growth, while Dexom

Here are some of the biggest stories to come out of this year’s edition of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

Medtronic focuses on earnings power while shifting operational setup

Medtronic Chair and CEO Geoff Martha’s presentation centered on profits for the medtech giant.

“Our top priority is restoring our earnings power — full stop,” he said. “We continue to be this mission-driven company th…

The most important medtech leadership changes of 2023

Former Johnson & Johnson EVP and MedTech Worldwide Chair Ashley McEvoy [Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson]

From hirings and firings to promotions, resignations and surprising shake-ups, these were the most important medtech leadership changes of the year.

By Associate Editor Sean Whooley and Managing Editor Jim Hammerand

The leadership change at Johnson & Johnson MedTech was a surprising shift that ended up as the year’s biggest medtech leadership change of 2023.

In October, J&J EVP and J&J MedTech Worldwide Chair Ashley McEvoy announced her resignation from the world’s second-largest device manufacturer. She’s staying on into the first quarter of 2024 while her successor, Tim Schmid, gets settled into his new role.

Schmid, a 30-year J&J vet who was most recently company group chair of J&J MedTech Asia Pacific, said he’s “committed to building ev…

A J&J veteran highlights listening to address overlooked maternal-fetal needs

[pressmaster/Adobe Stock]

With nearly 20 years of experience at Johnson & Johnson, Cynthia Accuosti Jones now spearheads the company’s pioneering maternal-fetal medicine group tackling unmet needs in high-risk pregnancies. As vice president of global commercial strategy for autoantibody and maternal fetal health, she spotlights listening as the driver for patient impact. “You can’t have empathy if you don’t listen to people and it’s incredible how much people just need to be listened to,” Jones emphasized, underscoring the importance of addressing the often-neglected area of maternal health.

Jones’ longtime interest in healthcare stemmed from a desire to help people. She considered nursing but ultimately pursued finance and international business at Georgetown, building on childhood analytical skills tracking her father’s stocks. That experience piqued her interest in financial markets and data analysis. She…

J&J’s Acclarent wins FDA nod for pediatric ear tube balloon dilation system

The Aera system. [Image from J&J/Acclarent]Johnson & Johnson MedTech unit Acclarent announced that it won a new FDA clearance for its Aera Eustachian tube balloon dilation system.

While Acclarent still belongs to Johnson & Johnson, Integra Lifesciences is set to buy it for $275 million next year. While the completion of that deal awaits, the company cleared a regulatory hurdle that expands the patient population for its Aera system.

The new FDA clearance expands access to children aged eight to 17 with persistent obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (OETD). Previously only indicated for adults, the system can now treat pediatric patients, making Acclarent the first and only company to achieve a pediatric indication for a Eustachian tube balloon dilation system, according to a news release.

Until now, according to Acclarent, children with persistent OETD only had a handful of options. Those included tympanostomy (ear) tubes, adenoidectomy (rem…

The top medtech trends of 2023

The top medtech trends of 2023 included innovations such as artificial intelligence, new GLP-1 weight loss drugs and some long-awaited medtech finally receiving regulatory nods.

With health providers facing additional challenges on top of an ever-uncertain economic environment, medtech companies also made major readjustments: layoffs, spinoffs, reorganizations and much more.

Here are the top stories that caught the attention of MassDevice readers and editors in 2023.

Top 2023 medtech trend No. 10: Questions about GLP-1 drugs

U.S. health providers wrote more than 9 million prescriptions in just three months for Wegovy, Ozempic and similar glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) weight loss drugs, according to analytics firm Trilliant Health. The popularity and initial effectiveness of the new drugs had medtech industry analysts asking a lot of questions about how the potential health benefits could reduce demand for devices. Medical device executives, however, we…

Cerenovus President Mark Dickinson on the future of stroke care

Cerenovus President Mark Dickinson forecasts the innovative technologies that will advance stroke care in the coming years.

Cerenovus Worldwide President Mark Dickinson [Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson MedTech]

It’s getting harder to beat aspiration systems for fast and simple thrombectomies to remove blood clots that are blocking oxygen from a stroke patient’s brain.

That’s according to Cerenovus Worldwide President Mark Dickinson, who discussed the future of stroke care in an interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing.

“It’s a very simple concept that the larger the tube you can get to face the blood clot, the more likely you’re going to be able to evacuate that clot just through suction,” he said. “And advances in technology have enabled us — and, candidly, others in the marketplace — to be able to design these larger bore, larger sized devi…

J&J’s Biosense Webster treats first patients in dual-energy AFib ablation trial

The ThermoCool SmartTouch dual-energy ablation catheter could offer a treatment option for AFib. [Image courtesy of Biosense Webster]Johnson & Johnson’s Biosense Webster today announced the first completed patient cases in a study of its dual-energy ablation catheter.

Biosense Webster designed the ThermoCool SmartTouch SF to deliver both radiofrequency (RF) and pulsed-field ablation (PFA) energy. The SmartPulse pivotal study evaluates the dual-energy system in the treatment of paroxysmal AFib.

AFib ablation has become a hotbed for innovation in recent years. Medtronic stands as one competitor after its $1 billion Affera acquisition, plus the FDA yesterday approved its PulseSelect PFA system for treating AFib. Boston Scientific and its Farapulse system represent another exciting option in the space. The company expects FDA approval sometime next year.

Dr. David Newton of Memorial Health University Physicians Heart Care and Dr. Andrea Natale of Texa…

Former J&J MedTech head Ashley McEvoy takes board role at consumer goods giant

Ashley McEvoy [Image courtesy of Procter & Gamble]Less than two months after announcing her departure from Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Ashley McEvoy has taken on a role on the board of Procter & Gamble.

In October, the former EVP and worldwide chair at J&J MedTech announced her intention to leave the world’s second-largest medical device manufacturer. Tim Schmid took over the position from McEvoy, who spent 27 years at J&J. The reason behind her departure was “to pursue new opportunities,” she said.

While the seasoned medtech executive has yet to share any planned C-level moves, she has a new position on the board at a major consumer goods company in Procter & Gamble. Her appointment to the company’s board of directors went into effect on Dec. 12.

Over the course of her time at J&J, McEvoy most recently led the MedTech unit and spearheaded efforts to develop integrated, digitized solutions. She brought the busine…

Integra LifeSciences to buy Johnson & Johnson’s Acclarent and its ENT tech

Integra LifeSciences (Nasdaq: IART) + announced today that it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Acclarent from Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Acclarent, part of J&J MedTech’s Ethicon unit, enhances Integra’s position in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) treatment market. Integra already offers the MicroFrance line of ENT instruments. The company believes that, upon closing, the deal propels it into a position as a leading provider of ENT products and technologies.

Integra agreed to acquire Acclarent for $275 million in cash at closing. The deal also includes an additional $5 million upon the achievement of regulatory milestones.

“This acquisition presents Integra with a rare opportunity to become a key player in the ENT segment. Acclarent’s culture of pioneering technologies aligns with Integra’s legacy of innovation to transform care and restore patients’ lives,” said Jan De Witte, pre…