MedTech Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

MassMEDIC announces 2021 Ignite accelerator winners

MassMEDIC announced today that it concluded its 2021 MedTech IGNITE accelerator program for medical device companies.

Boston-based MassMEDIC (the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council) had 12 startups in the 2021 IGNITE cohort, with the companies including developers of wearables, diagnostics and surgical devices across areas such as women’s health, neurology, oncology, infectious disease, diabetes and cardiology.

The IGNITE cohort participated in virtual classes run by medtech executives with expertise in a number of areas, while it also included virtual networking events and fireside chats with industry luminaries. Participating startups also worked on pitches with feedback from VCs and experienced mentors.

Winners were selected by their peers, with each cohort founder presenting their corporate pitch to the cohort. They were scored on product market fit, business plan and team strength.

Encora Therapeutics won the competition, bri…

Baxter, 3M, Abbott near the top of Newsweek’s most responsible companies list

Several medtech, healthcare and life sciences companies, including big names like Abbott (NYSE:ABT), 3M (NYSE:MMM) and Baxter (NYSE:BAX), are among the 500 “most responsible,” according to Newsweek.

The outlet published its “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022” list, marking the third installment of the compilation (in partnership with Statista), this time expanded to include 500 of the largest public corporations around. Companies were judged with an overall score out of 100 that combined environmental, social and corporate governance performance assessments.

Get the full story at our sister site, MassDevice.

Medtech M&A: The industry’s biggest mergers and acquisitions of 2021

[Image from Jp Valery on Unsplash]

Across 2021, medtech has seen a wide range of mergers and acquisitions covering several areas of devices, pharmaceuticals and more.

Some have gone off without a hitch, while others fell into serious scrutiny as mouthwatering financial figures were revealed and major technologies were acquired.

Here are the 10 biggest mergers and acquisitions in medtech in 2021:

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FDA issues final rule to make de novo classificaiton process easier

The FDA yesterday issued a final rule aimed at simplifying the de novo classification process for medical devices.

In publishing the final rule, the FDA established procedures and criteria for submitting and withdrawing a de novo request, while also setting guidelines for the FDA to accept, review, grant and/or decline such a request for a process that allows some medical devices to leapfrog the premarket approval process.

FDA said that, while several comments object to sections or subsections of the proposed rule, almost all comments voice support for the objective of the proposed rule aimed at establishing regulations for the process.

Among the criteria in the rule is the stipulation that a person may submit a de novo request after submitting a 510(k) application and receiving a not substantially equivalent (NSE) determination. Additionally, a person may submit a de novo request without first submitting a 510(k), provided that there is no legally marke…

Barclays is bullish on medtech

Barclays analysis projects that medtech might be on its way to a stretch of “outperformance” even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to SeekingAlpha, the report cited eight reasons that make the investment bank bullish on the industry in the coming years, starting with what it calls “robust innovation.”

On top of the evolving innovation in medtech, Barclays expects the canceled procedures of 2020 (as a result of COVID-19) to return, while new technology could increase diagnoses.

Direct-to-consumer advertising, a potential return to “normality” in a post-pandemic scape, surveys indicating a resurgence in elective surgeries, healthy balance sheets and an aging population as a tailwind round out the reasons why Barclays expects success for medtech over the next several years.

Medtech companies that Barclays stands “overweight on” include Abbott (26.72% upside), Boston Scientific (18.55% ups…

How big medtech fared during a year of COVID-19

[Image from Unsplash]Despite numerous challenges, the medtech industry showed itself to be fairly recession-proof in 2020, according to a Medical Design & Outsourcing/MassDevice analysis of financials.

Annual reports recently released by 20 of the world’s largest medical device companies showed only a slight dip in revenue during 2020 — a year in which medtech held the front lines against the COVID-19 pandemic. Employment was also up slightly amongst the top earners, while R&D spending held its own.

The 20 companies included in the MDO analysis include 3M Healthcare, Abbott (medical device segment), Alcon, Align Technology, Baxter, Boston Scientific, Danaher (life sciences and diagnostics segment), Dentsply Sirona, Edwards Lifesciences, GE Healthcare, Henry Schein, Intuitive Surgical, Johnson & Johnson (medical device segment), Medline Industries, Owens & Minor, Royal Philips, Smith+Nephew, Stryker, Teleflex and Zimmer Biomet.

Get the full s…

These medtech stocks performed the best in 2020

(From Ishant Mishra on Unsplash)

While 2020 did not go as planned for anyone, with the twists and turns came opportunities for medtech companies to power forward.

Innovations came both as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and perhaps in spite of the challenges brought on by the virus, highlighted by the increased efforts to produce vaccines and testing while pivoting to artificial-intelligence-based and remote care.

Companies like Moderna arose from nowhere, climbing from a share price of $19.52 to $104.47 over the course of the year as it established itself as a frontronner in the race to get a COVID-19 vaccine to the public, eventually becoming the second vaccine authorized in the U.S.

MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — has hit new heights over the course of 2020, indicating the upward trajectory of the industry. Ove…

Medtech 100 roundup: Stocks dip slightly after strong start to month

Medtech stocks ticked down over the course of last week as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to bear economic ramifications.

MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — sat at 82.4 points at the end of last week (May 15). That total represents a -1.9% decline from the 83.98-point total at the same time a week prior (May 8).

The lowest point during the pandemic remains at 62.13 on March 23. Since then, medtech stocks have experienced 32.6% growth in total. However, they are still down -10.7% since the index’s pre-pandemic crash high point of 92.32 on Feb. 19.

Compared to the S&P 500 Index, which experienced a -2.2% increase from May 8 to May 15, the medtech index took a similarly small dip. The Dow Jones Index suffered even more with a -2.6% decline over the same period of time.

More often than not, recent earnings reports are revealing negative results in large part due to COVID-19. E…