Conference Calendar

November 26-30 - EFOST 2008: 5th Meeting of the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedic Traumatology

November 28-December 3 - The 2008 Greater New York Dental Meeting

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Earnings Calendar

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Orthopedic and Dental Industry News Complete Archive »

Sports Medicine

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 20-Nov-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Medtronic reported FQ2:09 revenues of $3.57 billion, up 14% (8% constant currency) over the year-ago period and missing estimates by $0.12 billion. Non-GAAP net earnings and diluted earnings per share were $758.0 million, or $0.67 per diluted share, missing... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 2-Oct-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

M&A Arthro Kinetics announced that they are pursuing a potential asset sale. The company said this week that their current $5.0 million cash balance was not sufficient to sustain operations. Tecomet has been acquired from Cardinal Health by Charlesbank Capital... more

Arthroscopic Knee Surgery for OA... Is It Worth It? BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study that more or less said "no". In cautionary scientific parlance, the study concluded that "arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee provides no additional benefit to optimized physical and... more

Histogenics Raises $9mm BY JOHN MCCORMICK

A cartilage company raising venture money is a not-so-common development in the world of sports medicine. In this instance, Waltham, MA based Histogenics just announced it has raised $9 million from venture investors. Of interest, Stryker was included in the... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 14-Aug-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics reported a 2Q:08 net loss of $9.2 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, widening from a net loss of $6.4 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in 2Q:07. Clinical highlights for the quarter include the announcement of... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 19-June-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Funding Exactech received a $40.0 million syndicated line of credit which will be used to fund future acquisitions and refinance debt, among other expenses. SunTrust Bank served as lead agent with participation by Compass Bank. M&A clickNsettle announced plans... more

New "Smarthroscope" Will Assess Extent of Tissue Damage BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Queensland University Of Technology researchers are developing a device they call a "smarthroscope," designed to be a more sensitive alternative to an arthroscope. Professor Kunle Oloyede, who received a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council to develop... more

Female Athletes More Susceptible to ACL Tears BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

In February, the New York Times reported on a rise in pediatric ACL cases, attributed to aggressive athletic activity, the increasingly common practice of MRI scans for injured knees and physicians' heightened familiarity with pediatric ACL tears. Now an article... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 8-May-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Artimplant announced 1Q:08 revenues of SEK 2.1 million ($0.35 million), down from SEK 3.9 million ($0.66 million) in 1Q:07. Net loss for the quarter was SEK 6.2 million ($1.04 million), or SEK 10 ($1.68) per share, a deterioration from... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 24-Apr-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Alphatec Holdings reported consolidated revenues for 1Q:08 of $23.2 million, an increase of 19% from the year-ago period. U.S. revenues for the first quarter of 2008 were $18.6 million, an increase of 12% from the year-ago period. Asia revenues... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 10-Apr-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

M&A Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced plans to acquire LifeCell for $1.7 billion, or $51.00 per share, which represents an 18% premium over LifeCell's closing price on Friday and a 26% premium over the 90-day volume weighted average trading price. KCI... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 6-Mar-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Anika Therapeutics reported 4Q:07 product revenue of $7.9 million, in line with estimates and up from $5.08 million for the same period last year. The revenue growth was attributed to domestic and international sales of the ORTHOVISC product line,... more

Pediatric ACL Diagnoses on the Rise BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Once thought to be rare among children, pediatric ACL injuries have been diagnosed more frequently in recent years, a shift that could be attributed to aggressive athletic activity, the increasingly common practice of MRI scans for kids with hurt knees... more

MAKO Surgical Goes Public BY JOHN MCCORMICK

On Thursday of last week, MAKO Surgical Corp went public. The Company, which makes robotic arms for minimally inveasive knee surgery, raised an impressive $51 million in capital selling at $10 a share. Although it lost some ground on the... more

New Techniques Strive to Meet the Challenges of Rotator-Cuff Repair BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

When a patient with a rotator-cuff tear has the injury surgically repaired, he or she faces both severe pain associated with the procedure and the possibility that the injury will recur. According to an article (subscription required) in last week's... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 25-January-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings JNJ reported 4Q:07 revenues of $15.96 billion, up 17% over the year-ago period and beating consensus estimates of $15.4 billion. Net income was $2.37 billion, or $0.82 per share, missing estimates by $0.04. Depuy reported 4Q:07 sales of $1.21... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 10-Jan-08 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

M&A ArthroCare Corp. acquired DiscoCare, Inc., whom the company describes as "a third-party billing and reimbursement service provider," for $25 million in cash plus potential future milestone payments. The company says, "This acquisition will allow ArthroCare to significantly expand its... more

ArthroCare in the News Again with the Acquisition of DiscoCare BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Last week ArthroCare announced a $25 million deal to acquire DiscoCare, described in the press release as a "medical billing and reimbursement service provider." Specifically, DiscoCare provides reimbursement assistance to physicians using Arthrocare's plasma disc decompression (PDD) device; though it... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 15-Nov-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Artimplant announced 3Q:07 revenue of SEK 2.6 million, up from SEK 0.9 million in the year-ago period. 3Q:07 net loss was SEK 3.6 million, down from SEK 10.4 in 3Q:06. Earnings per share, including a non-recurring item, amounted to... more

Regeneration Technologies and Tutogen to Merge BY DAVID KRESSEL

This morning Regeneration Technologies (RTI) and Tutogen announced their intent to merge. These are two of the larger players in the tissue processing business though their businesses have surprisingly little overlap. RTI has been more focused on allograft hard tissue... more

Musculosketal News Roundup 25-Oct-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings ArthroCare Corp. reported 3Q:07 total revenues of $78.5 million, an increase of 21% over the comparable quarter. Revenues missed estimates by $0.11 million. The company reported net income of $11.1 million, or $0.39 per share, up 28% over 3Q:06... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 28-Sept-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Legal Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday the terms of a settlement with Zimmer, Depuy, Biomet, Smith & Nephew and Stryker following an investigation into physician compensation practices. Zimmer, Depuy, Biomet and Smith & Nephew entered into deferred prosecution agreements and... more

FDA Throws ReGen Biologics Another Curveball BY DAVID KRESSEL

ReGen Biologics today announced it received a "Not Substantially Equivalent" (NSE) letter from the FDA in response to the 510(k) premarket notification the company submitted for its meniscal repair implant. In a press release and conference call, a clearly frustrated... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 20-Sept-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings AOI Medical reported a 1H:07 loss of $1.8 million, increasing from a loss of $0.97 million in the comparable half. The company attributed the loss to increased expenses. They expect their product, the Balloon Assisted Management of Spine Fractures,... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 30-Aug-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Globus Medical announced 2Q:07 revenues of $30.2 million, an increase of 52% over the comparable quarter. The company attributes the revenue growth to the expansion of its sales and distribution footprint, product introductions in its fusion, MIS and biomaterials... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 16-Aug-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics reported a 2Q:07 net loss of $6.4 million, or $(0.35) per share, beating estimates of $(0.39) per share and improving from a net loss of $3.9 million, or $(0.42) per share, in 2Q:06. 2Q:07 Revenues were $0.5... more

AOSSM Goes Cowboy in Calgary BY ELIZABETH VARLEY CAMP

Calgary was the host city for this year's AOSSM conference last week, which coincided with the Stampede, the world's largest rodeo event. No Calgary citizen seemed to be working this week; all were enjoying perfect weather, pancake breakfasts and BBQ... more

DJO to sell for $1.6 Billion BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This morning DJO Incorporated (formerly known as DJ Orthopedics), the largest bracing company in the land, announced that it has agreed to be sold for $1.6 billion to Austin, Texas-based ReAble Theraputics, Inc. (formerly known as Encore Medical). As opposed... more

Musculoskeletal News Roundup 12-July-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

M&A Biomet Inc. shareholders accepted an $11.4 billion buyout offer from a private equity consortium attempting to acquire the medical device maker. The consortium, LVB Acquisition LLC, announced Thursday that nearly 83 percent of Biomet's shares were tendered. The company... more

Society for Biomaterials a Product Pipeline Crystal Ball BY DAVID KRESSEL

Last week, we attended the Society for Biomaterials' annual conference. The event showcases the latest academic research and its broad applications across medical specialties. Roughly a third of the poster presentations focused on orthopedics, and most of the rest related... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 12-Apr-07 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Earnings Vertebron announced in a press release that 1Q:07 was its most profitable quarter ever. The Company attributes the growth to a significant sales increase over the comparable quarter last year as well as a company-wide restructuring in 3Q:06. Vertebron... more

Biomet Sports Medicine to do License Deal BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Today Biomet Sports Medicine announced that it is doing a deal with Marc Tec LLC to acquire access to minimally invasive sports medicine and arthroscopic technologies. Marc Tec is an affiliate of Bonutti Technologies and the deal includes over 45... more

Regeneration Technologies and Cryolife to Enter Exchange and Service Agreement BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Allograft companies, Regeneration Technologies (RTI) and Cryolife announced a non-cash exchange and service agreement this morning concerning their orthopedic and cardiovascular processing. With respect to orthopedics, starting January 1, CryoLife will work to transition existing tissue recovery and donation arrangements... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 14-Dec-06 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI

Regulatory CryoLife received FDA 510(k) clearance for its ProPatch™ Soft Tissue Repair Matrix, an announcement that drove its stock up 9%. Among other applications, ProPatch can be used to reinforce tissues repaired by sutures or by suture anchors during tendon... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 5-Oct-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Earnings Update: Tutogen Medical, Inc. provided an update on its 4Q:06 projected revenues which are estimated at ~$10.8 million, representing a 36% increase over the comparable quarter of 2005. Revenues for the fiscal year will be ~$38 million, an increase... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 7-Sept-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Appointment: Ranier Technology Limited has appointed John C. Moran to its Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Moran was a President of Synthes Spine and a Director of Spine Solutions, Inc. Active Implants Corporation (AIC) has hired Richard Treharne, PhD. as... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 17-Aug-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Earnings: Biologics: Tutogen reported 3Q:06 sales of $10 million and a net loss of $1.1 million, or $0.07 per fully diluted share compared to the same quarter last year. The Company would have experienced breakeven results without ~$1.1 million in... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 10-Aug-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Earnings: Biologics: Orthovita reported 2Q:06 product sales came in at $11.2 million, up 32% compared to 2Q:05. On a non-GAAP basis net loss for the quarter was $5.1 million, or a loss of $0.10 per share. The Company did not... more

510(k) for ReGen Biologics' Collagen Scaffold Rejected BY HUYEN NGUYEN

On Monday, ReGen Biologics announced that it had received a letter from the FDA rejecting to approve the ReGen® collagen scaffold technology to be classified as a Class II medical device. In its exact words, the collagen scaffold technology, "is... more

Orthofix to Buy Blackstone Medical for $333 Million BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This morning Orthofix International, NV (NasdaqGS: OFIX) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire independent spinal implant developer Blackstone Medical, Inc. for $333 million in cash. Blackstone revenues were $22mm in 2Q:06 and EBIT was approximately $2mm. Trailing... more

AOFAS Annual Meeting Highlights BY ARIELLA P. GOLOMB, MD

This past weekend we attended the 22nd Annual Summer Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society in La Jolla (AOFAS). The conference ran from July 14-16, 2006 at the Hilton Torrey Pines Hotel and there were approximately 400... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 12-Jul-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Appointment: Biomet, Inc. appointed Charles E. Niemier as President of EBI's operations following the resignation of its former president, Bart J. Doedens, M.D. Mr. Niemier has been a member of the senior management team and Board of Directors for more... more

Orthofix Appoints New Head of Corporate Development BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This morning Orthofix announced the appointment of Michael M. Finegan as Vice President of Corporate Development and head of the Company's new Corporate Development Group. His duties will include identifying external opportunities for the company to increase its revenues and... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 1-Jun-06 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Appointment: A medical imaging company ONI Medical appointed Victor Ruiz to Vice President, of the Corporate Strategy and Marketing division. Mr. Ruiz's past experience include world-famous imaging companies: GE Medical Systems and Cardinal Health Inc. Clinical Update: LDR Spine announced... more

DJ Orthopedics Changes Name to DJO Inc. BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Yesterday morning, dj Orthopedics Inc. announced that it changed its name to DJO Inc. following its recent acquisition of Aircast Inc. The company acquired Aircast, famous to soccer moms for its ankle braces and casts, for $290 million at the... more

1Q:06 Earnings Summary BY HUYEN NGUYEN

To update from previous blog, twenty of twenty-four orthopedic companies reported revenues and earnings for the period of January 1, 2006 to April 1, 2006. Excluding Inion, Osteotech, RTI (Regeneration Technologies) and Tutogen, which have not reported yet, total orthopedic... more

1Q:06 Preliminary Earnings Summary BY HUYEN NGUYEN

The first group of orthopedic companies reported their 1Q:06 this week and took in $5.3 billion so far. The total aggregated revenues for the quarter were up by 7% from $4.9 billion in 1Q:05. The industry netted $637.8 million, a... more

2006 Orthopedic Industry Forecast - Strong Growth to Continue BY EDITOR

Our current forecast for the orthopedic industry projects continued long term growth of 15%. For 2006, we expect growth to be slightly below this trend, at 12%. Despite continued strength in other segments of the industry, hip and knee reconstruction... more

ArthroCare Misses Another SEC Filing BY JOHN MCCORMICK

ArthroCare Corp. has filed a notification of late filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its annual Form 10-K with the SEC, asking for a 15-day extension until Mar. 31, 2006. In plain engolish that means they are handing... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 3-Nov-05 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

We wrap up this quarter with aggregated earnings and sales in the public orthopedic sector of $560 million and $5 billion, respectively, as a few more companies reported this week. For 3Q:05, orthopedic sales were up by 13% ($5.0 billion... more

A Follow-Up Interview with Gerald 'Gary' Bisbee, CEO of ReGen Biologics, Inc. BY JOHN MCCORMICK

One of the leaders in this emerging meniscus repair market is ReGen Biologics. We recently had a chance to do a catch up with Gary Bisbee, CEO of ReGen Biologics who we interviewed last year. Disclosure: Individual members of HealthpointCapital,... more

ReGen Biologics Update: FDA Warning Letter BY JOHN MCCORMICK

On Friday ReGen Biologics, Inc. reported that it received a warning letter dated September 16, 2005 from the FDA. The warning letter was a follow-up to the FDA Form 483 notice of inspectional observations received by ReGen and, along with... more

Invibio Expands Further into Asia-Pacific Market BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Invibio scored a coup in Japan recently. Today the Company announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health has approved for use the first implantable medical device using the Company's PEEK-OPTIMA polymer. The device is an arthroscopic tissue repair system used... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 9-Sept-05 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

The FDA Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel held a meeting September 8th and 9th to rule on two important issues: Smith & Nephew's hip resurfacing device and the design of clinical studies for spinal devices. You can find background information... more

ArthroCare and Smith & Nephew Bury the Hatchet BY JOHN MCCORMICK

ArthroCare Corp. has settled all legal disputes with the Smith & Nephew PLC Endoscopy division by signing product supply and license agreements for bipolar and monopolar arthroscopy products. The various agreements resolve all of ArthroCare's pending litigation against Smith &... more

Orthofix Hires Chief Operating Officer BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This morning, Orthofix International N.V. (NASDAQ: OFIX) announced that Alan W. Milinazzo, 45, has joined the Company as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Milinazzo joins Orthofix as an experienced hand in the medical device field with decades of experience, most... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 01-Sept-05 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

This week, we decided to post the Orthopedic News Roundup for Thursday, instead of Friday due to the upcoming holiday. Clearly the biggest headline this week is the announcement of a take-over bid by Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation ("MTF") for Osteotech... more

Sports Medicine Shortage in India BY SHELLY ACHAIBAR

Cricket is a well known international sport played in over 60 countries. Although the sport had been around for a century, it became formalized in 1744 after the by-laws were created by the London Club. The game is competitively played... more

ArthoCare buys Applied Therapeutics for $10mm BY JOHN MCCORMICK

On Wednesday afternoon, Arthrocare (nasdaq:ARTC) announced that it has purchased substantially all of the assets and certain liabilities of Applied Therapeutics Inc. for $10 million in cash. The deal also includes a payment contigent on Applied Therapeutics' revenue from Feb.... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 12-Aug-2005 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

This week we completed the orthopedic reporting calendar as a few more companies reported earnings, starting with Synthes, the number #1 trauma company worldwide. Synthes reported 20% growth in both top and bottom line for 1H:05. Consolidated sales reported at... more

Acquisitions Heating up in Bracing BY JOHN MCCORMICK

The traditionally steady-as-she-goes bracing sector has been heating up with some M&A activity lately. Two weeks ago, Ossur annouced it was buying Royce Medical and, in the last five days, we have two new events to consider: (i) dj Orthopedics... more

2005 Orthopedic Market Report: Sports Medicine - Available for download BY EDITOR

The sports medicine segment of orthopedics represents nearly $2 billion of revenues between arthroscopic equipment and implants and non-operative devices such as braces and splints. This 21-page report is a full backgrounder for laypersons as well as a detailed resource... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 5-Aug-05 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

This week we finish off the first half of 2005 reporting season with 17 orthopedic companies* released their financial numbers. In 2Q:05, in an aggregated total, orthopedic revenues increased 16% ($3.8 billion vs. $3.2 billion) and a 25% increased in... more

Ossur buys Royce Medical BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This morning Icelandic prosthetics developer Ossur announced its second major foray into the bracing business: the acquisition of Royce Medical Holding Inc. And for a pretty penny too... $216 million or well in excess of 4x revenue by our estimates.... more

AOSSM 2005: A Sports Medicine Trip Report BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Perhaps the most startling innovation of this years AOSSM sports medicine conference was a palm pilot kiosk where surgeons and exhibitors could beam the entire conference program and floorplan into their cellphones and PDAs in about 30 seconds. Immediately addicted,... more

BREG: When a Brace is Not a Brace BY JOHN MCCORMICK

While touring the floors of the AOSSM sports medicine conference in Colorado this morning, Brad Mason the President of BREG (an Orthofix company) pulled us aside to show us the company's new FUSION functional knee brace. Before we could say... more

Pegasus Biologics, Inc. Raises $10M BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Billion dollar cardio investor Three Arch Partners is making further inroads into ortho with their investment in Irvine, CA based Pegasus Biologics, Inc. a developer of advanced collagen-based bioimplants. Frazier HealthCare Ventures joined Three Arch in what turned out to... more

Elderly Population: New Census Bureau Forecast BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last Thursday the US Census Bureau released new state-by-state projections on the aging of the U.S. population which showed not only how it expects the nation to age, but how the population is expected to shift geographically over the next... more

Gain-Sharing: The Lawyers View BY JOHN CHOPACK

Background on Gain Sharing. The Hospital Corporation of America ("HCA") has recently asked the Office of Inspector General ("OIG") of the Department of Health & Human Services ("HHS") to allow for "gain-sharing" arrangements. These gain-sharing arrangements would allow hospitals to... more

The Industry Subpoenaed: Our Perspective BY JOHN MCCORMICK

The healthcare industry has long been the subject of regulation by complex laws that do not exist in other industries and which, under certain circumstances, may seem almost excessive and counter-intuitive. The enforcement of these laws has been significant and... more

Preservation of Motion in the Lumbar Spine: A Trip Report BY JOHN MCCORMICK

At the end of last week, we attended the University of South Florida's "Preservation of Motion in the Lumbar Spine" course to check in on how leading surgeons are coming along with motion preserving spinal procedures and related surgical implant... more

What Price Innovation? | EDITORIAL | BY JOHN MCCORMICK

I was struck by economist Paul Krugman's article "America's Senior Moment" in the most recent New York Review of Books. In the article Krugman assails the Bush Administration's push for social security "privatization" with the fervor of a campus radical,... more

ArthroCare (ARTC:NASDAQ) Beats Analyst Expectations in the 4Q:04 BY JOHN CHOPACK

ARTC reported $42.7 million in net revenues during the 4Q:04 which was a 31% increase over the 4Q:03 and $600 thousand higher than analyst expectations. For 2004, revenues totaled $154.1 million compared to $118.9 million during 2003 which represents a... more

4Q:04 Orthopedic Wrap-up BY JOHN CHOPACK

We have aggregated the 4Q:04 and 3Q:04 reported revenues (includes the effects of foreign currency) for 16 public orthopedic companies. Although we would have liked to use revenue growth rates which excluded foreign currency, a majority of the companies report... more

Encore Medical (ENMC:NASDAQ) Reports 4Q:04 and 2004 Year-end Results BY JOHN CHOPACK

From a business development and strategy execution standpoint/2004 was an excellent year for Encore. Management completed two acquisitions (Empi and Osteoimplant Technologies, Inc.) which fits the overall business development strategy of ENMC: growth via acquisition. The acquisitions helped drive revenues... more

2005 AAOS: Louder, Yet Quieter than Ever Before BY JOHN CHOPACK

The 2005 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon Annual Conference was unique to recent meetings. It was louder in terms of the amount of marketing, size of exhibits and mass advertising, yet it was quieter in terms of business development and,... more

2005 AAOS Analyst Meeting Reviews BY JOHN CHOPACK

This year we attended Smith & Nephew's, Biomet's, Stryker's, and Encore Medical's analyst meetings. All were very professional and well attended. Here are our notes from each: Smith & Nephew Overview: Although Smith & Nephew posted the best large joint... more

FIVE HOT AAOS Sessions Plus 20 others worth a close look BY EDITOR

Overwhelmed with all the education opportunities? Join the club. Good news for you, though - the HealthpointCapital research team has whittled down the program to 26 of the most controversial and best-hosted side sessions. Minimally Invasive Breaks Out Every year... more

2005 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Preview BY JOHN CHOPACK

It's here again, the annual AAOS conference. Thousands are ready to descend on Washington, D.C. the week of February 21st to learn of new surgical techniques, new products and to develop business and relationships. While it is hard to predict... more

ArthroCare (NASDAQ:ARTC) Announces 29% Increase in Revenue for 2004 and Provides Guidance for 2005 BY HUYEN NGUYEN

Last week, ArthroCare (NASDAQ:ARTC) announced 4Q:04 product revenues will reach $40.8 million, a 30% increase from last year's fourth quarter. The company expects total product revenues for the fiscal year 2004 to total approximately $147.8 million, up 29% from the... more

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Takes Hold in Orthopedics | EDITORIAL | BY JOHN CHOPACK

Direct-to-consumer advertising has become the most powerful means of marketing pharmaceuticals over the last decade. For years we have seen these strange advertisements which typically only mention the name of a drug and the manufacturer, but withhold any information regarding... more

Symmetry Expands Facilities BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Warsaw, Indiana is forging ahead. Orthopedic industry supplier Symmetry Medical (NYSE:SMA) announced this morning that it has completed an $8.5 million facilities expansion. The projects undertaken included augmenting two existing facilities and developing two new facilities as follows (according to... more

Symmetry Medical Completes Public Offering BY JOHN MCCORMICK

The markets are open for business for orthopedic IPOs! Two weeks ago biodegradable implant manufacturer Inion raised '30 million on the London Stock Exchange at valuation of 19x revenue. Orthotics manufacturer Langer also announced a secondary offering to raise $30... more

DJ Orthopedics Reiterates 4th-quarter Revenue Outlook BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, dj Orthopedics Inc. (NYSE:DJO) management team held an analyst's day where they reiterated their guidance on their 4Q:04 forecast for revenue in the range of $65 million to $67 million. According to Reuters, the analysts consensus revenue estimate... more

Langer Announces Stock Offering BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, orthotic and prosthetic device company Langer, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIT) announced that it was filing a registration statement with SEC to facilitate a 5,000,000 share offering to (i) pay down more than half of its $35 million in debt... more

The Shot Heard Around the World: Inion goes Public BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Europe stole the headlines last week when Finnish implant manufacturer Inion (LSE: IIN LN) went public raising £30 million (US$58 million) on the London Stock Exchange. Immediately following the offering, valuation shot up 30% to a staggering 19x estimated 2004... more

Reflections on the Aircast Acquisition BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Two weeks ago, Aircast announced that it will be acquired by $1.3 billion private equity fund Tailwind Capital Partners. By all measures, the deal looks and feels like a plain vanilla leveraged buyout. A substantial amount of debt is being... more

NASDAQ Makes Mistake by Delisting ArthroCare BY JOHN MCCORMICK

NASDAQ wants to be stock market of choice for high quality growth companies. Arthrocare should be exactly the kind of company NASDAQ represents. Innovative, profitable, over $100 million in revenues, growing rapidly, innovating in key medical sectors, over $600 million... more

Symmetry Medical Scales Back its Proposed IPO BY JOHN MCCORMICK

In an SEC filing on Wednesday of last week Symmetry Medical, Inc. reduced the number of shares it plans to offer from ten million to eight million. Pricing is set at the $13 to $15 per share range according to... more

ArthroCare Closes Opus Medical Acquisition BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week ArthroCare Corp. (NASDAQ: ARTCE - note new ticker symbol) completed its acquisition of privately held Opus Medical, Inc.. ArthroCare paid with a combination of cash and stock for this privately-held arthroscopic surgery innovator. The terms of the $130... more

Orthofix Posts 39% revenue increase for Third Quarter BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week Orthofix (Nasdaq: OFIX) announced that revenues for 3Q:04, were $71.5 million, an increase of 39 percent over the $51.3 million reported for 3Q:03. The 2004 revenue number includes the acquired Breg revenues. The Company noted that the incremental... more

DJ Orthopedics reports 28% revenue increase for third quarter BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, dj Orthopedics (NYSE:DJO) announced that net revenues for 3Q:04 rose 27.9 percent to $62.5 million, compared with net revenues of $48.9 million reported in 3Q:03. Revenues were therefore below the consensus estimate of $63.1 million. Of course, the... more

Thirty Percent Sales Growth Highlights ArthroCare's Third Quarter Report BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, ArthroCare Corp (Nasdaq: ARTC) announced that for the third quarter ending September 30, revenues rose 30% on year-over-year (YOY) basis. Total revenues, which include product revenues, license fees and royalties, for 3Q:04 were $38.2 million versus the $29.4... more

Cartilage Repair Comes of Age: An Interview with Gerald 'Gary' Bisbee, CEO of ReGen Biologics, Inc. BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Cartilage repair is coming of age. One of the leaders in this emerging technology is ReGen Biologics. During the recent HealthpointCapital Biologics Summit, we spent a few quality moments interviewing Gary Bisbee, CEO of ReGen Biologics. JM: Introduce our Readers... more

dj Orthopedics Announces Revenue Shortfall and Stock Repurchase BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week, dj Orthopedics (NYSE: DJO) stock fell 10% on the announcement that it was cutting its third quarter outlook. The shortfall largely comes from previously announced integration efforts associated with the Company's Regentek unit, which manufactures bone growth stimulation... more

Silipos Finally Finds a Home with Langer BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week Langer (NASDAQ: GAIT) announced that it inked a deal to acquire Silipos, Inc. Silipos, which operates out of New York City and Niagara Falls, NY, manufactures gel-based products that have orthopedic and prosthetic applications such as heel cups,... more

Why Orthopedic Equities Offer Superior Risk/Return Performance BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Using classic portfolio theory to analyze the past performance of orthopedic equity we uncovered data that strongly suggests that Orthopedic equities delivered to investors superior returns with minimal risk and, in fact, provided a better risk/return paradigm than the rest... more

DJO Reshuffles Board Committees; Adds new Director BY JOHN MCCORMICK

dj Orthopedics, Inc. (NYSE:DJO), announced on Friday the appointment of W. Thomas Mitchell to its Board of Directors. Mr. Mitchell will serve as an independent director of the board and will serve on the audit committee, replacing Kirby Cramer, who... more

dj Orthopedics Reports Second Quarter Earnings - Announces Regentek Integration BY JOHN MCCORMICK

dj Orthopedics, Inc. (NYSE: DJO) met analysts' $0.21 second quarter earnings expectations for the second quarter of 2004 after an adjustment for a bond redemption premium. 2Q:04 revenues for DJO were $63.2 million, 33.2% higher than last year's 2Q:03 (7.2%... more

ArthroCare Revenues Grow 27% This Quarter - Parallax Experiences Supply Issues BY JOHN MCCORMICK

ArthroCare achieved total revenues of $37.7 million for 2Q:04; a 27% year over year increase compared to the $29.7 million achieved in 2Q:03 largely driven by US revenues. The Sports Medicine business unit (64% of product revenue) exceeded management's expectations... more

Orthofix Announces Preliminary Second Quarter Results BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week Orthofix announced that second quarter sales are expected to be approximately $70.8 million which are less than consensus analyst expectations of $73.0 million to $73.8 million. Earnings per share are expected to approximate between $0.49 and $0.51 per... more

ArthroCare Lands Key Ruling Versus Smith & Nephew: Raises 2005 Revenue Estimate BY JOHN MCCORMICK

If you are looking to buy a Smith & Nephew Dyonics Control RF System, ElectroBlade or Saphyre™ you might as well go to ebay because Smith & Nephew has been barred from selling them by the U.S. District Court of... more

Symmetry Medical to go Public BY JOHN MCCORMICK

For an industry that only has a little over 20 publicly traded companies, orthopedic devices is doing well this year with its third major equity offering. This time Warsaw, Indiana based Symmetry Medical has filed its registration statement with the... more

DJO Announces Shelf Registration: JP Morgan Exits BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Late Friday of last week, dj Orthopedics (NYSE: DJO) announced that it has filed for shelf registration with the SEC in order to sell a block of shares owned by existing shareholders and management. The selling shareholders are JP Morgan... more

dj Orthopedics Announces Redemption of Senior Subordinated Notes BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last week dj Orthopedics (NYSE: DJO) made the call analysts have been expecting: the redemption of their punitively expensive Senior Subordinated notes. This lingering artifact from the Company's 1999 LBO was costing the company nearly $10 million in interest costs... more

dj Orthopedics (NYSE: DJO) Earns $0.19 for 1Q:04 BY JOHN MCCORMICK

It would seem that the theme of DJO's first quarter financial results announced on Wednesday was new, new and' new. The Company captured the benefits of a new division, gained new contracts, introduced new products and is building a new... more

Orthofix (NASDAQ: OFIX) Achieves 47% Revenue Growth in First Quarter; BREG Acquisition has Incremental Effect BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Orthofix had its first full quarter that included the BREG acquisition and the results were solid. Revenues grew year-over-year by 47% to $70.7 million in 1Q:04 from $48.2 million in 1Q:03. We note that $2.4 million of that growth comes... more

ArthroCare (NASDAQ: ARTC) Achieves 31% Revenue Growth in First Quarter; Achieving Traction in Spine BY JOHN MCCORMICK

ArthroCare achieved total revenues of $34.3 million for 1Q:04 a 31% year over year increase compared to the $27.2 million achieved in 1Q:03. For the remainder of the year, the Company expects revenue to grow at 20% which would allow... more

EMPI Files for IPO BY JOHN MCCORMICK

The IPO market for orthopedic and related companies is clearly heating up this year. Witness the recent offerings from NuVasive and dj Orthopedics. Now St. Paul, MN based orthopedic rehabilitation company EMPI, Inc. has just filed its Registration Statement with... more

John Kerry: Presidential Candidate and Sports Medicine Patient BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Presidential contender John Kerry is probably wishing he had a war story to tell about his torn subscapularis tendon, but alas, a mundane fall on a stopping bus is all he had to report. What is not widely discussed is... more

Orthofix Change of Command BY EDITOR

Orthofix International N.V. (NASDAQ NM:OFIX) announced a shift in its Board structure on Friday where Jim Gero, a member of the OFIX Board of Directors since 1997, will become its new Chairman of the Board. He will replace Robert Gaines-Cooper... more

The 2004 AAOS Whirlwind BY JOHN CHOPACK

The 2004 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons hit with the speed and intensity of a tornado. It wasn't a destructive tornado but rather a whirlwind of innovative technology and merger activity. Biomet (BMET:NASDAQ) couldn't wait for the official Academy to... more

Orthofix Announces 15% Increase In Revenue In 2003 BY JOHN MCCORMICK

On Thursday, Orthofix (OFIX) announced revenues of $203.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2003, an increase of 15% over the prior year.  Interestingly, over a quarter of the incremental revenue can be attributed to the US dollar decline. ... more

dj Orthopedics Completes Stock Offering BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Last Tuesday, dj Orthopedics (DJO) closed its offering of 7,500,000 shares at $19 per share where the Company sold 3,162,500 primary shares in the offering and selling stockholders separately sold 5,462,500 shares.  After the bankers took their fees, DJO netted... more

dj Orthopedics Announces Public Offering of Common Stock BY JOHN MCCORMICK

This past Friday, dj Orthopedics announced that it plans to publicly offer 6,000,000 shares of its common stock. This comes quickly on the heels of a recent shelf registration announcement and statement filed with the SEC. The shelf registration is... more

dj Orthopedics, Inc. Announces 4Q:03 Earnings of $0.21; Beats Expectations BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Despite dj Orthopedics' (DJO) wobbly stock last week, the Company's 4th quarter earnings per share of $0.21 was slightly ahead of expectations with the full year coming in at $0.64.  DJO's stellar performance comes on the heels of record revenues... more

ArthroCare Fiscal 2003 Revenues Grow 34 Percent; Reports Strong 4th Quarter BY JOHN MCCORMICK

ArthroCare (ARTC) reported strong year-over-year revenue growth where total 2003 revenues reached $118.9 million compared with $88.8 million in 2002. Product sales in 2003 were $114.7 compared to $85.0 million in 2002. In 2003, gross margin on product sales increased... more

Wall Street Journal Features Orthofix's Innovative Ortho-Trac System for Back Pain BY JOHN MCCORMICK

It seems that rising orthopedic valuations on Wall Street are not the only voice hailing the "Decade of Orthopedics." The Wall Street Journal got into the act last Tuesday by writing a positive piece on one of the more interesting... more

Kensey Nash Announces 30% sales growth, 54% earnings growth BY JOHN MCCORMICK

Raises Fiscal 2004 Guidance. Ortho and sports medicine key growth driver. Biomaterials company Kensey Nash (KNSY) held a conference call to discuss its stellar Second Quarter earnings results last week. KNSY revenues were up 30% from $10.5 million to $13.7... more

dj Orthopedics signs Premier deal BY EDITOR

On Tuesday of last week, dj Orthpopedis announced that the company has been awarded a three-year supply contract with Premier Purchasing Partners LP - a firm supplying group purchasing, procurement strategy and outsourcing and e-commerce services to approximately 1,600 U.S.... more

Encore Prints More Money BY EDITOR

There are two ways to print money if you are a private citizen; counterfeit it – and we all know where that leads – or print stock certificates. Encore announced that it intends to print another 7 million shares. That... more

dj Orthopedics Makes a Serious Strategic Move BY EDITOR

Bottom line, by buying OrthoLogic's bone stim business, DJO is ratcheting up sales growth, profitability at the gross margin line, cash flows and, as the rating agencies noted late last week, debt levels - which hit new highs. Oh, and... more

Orthofix comes to terms with the U.S. government. BY EDITOR

Apparently “off-label” is a “no-no” if you're a U.S. military physician. Orthofix fought for a while, then settled. Last week, Orthofix decided it was better off avoiding the costs of a protracted litigation battle with the government and opted to... more

DJ Orthopedics beats estimate by 50%. Market is silent. BY EDITOR

DJ Ortho reported a sharp increase in net earnings to $2.7 million ($0.15 per share) on just a 4% rise in sales to $47 million for the June quarter. Operating margins improved significantly in the quarter reaching 15% of sales.... more


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Introductory Guide to Intellectual Property for Medical Devices

Dr. Gary Michelson knows his patent rights. Medtronic made him a billionaire for it. Knowing the rules of intellectual property is just as important for any device firm. It's such a critical factor in firm valuations: affecting cash flow timelines, product development, partnering, and many other competitive factors. Purchase this report for $295 »

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