Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1233009
22 DEVICES & IMPLANTS Breaking down the 3 major robots in spine surgery By Alan Condon I n 2004, Mazor SpineAssist became the first robot ap- proved by the FDA to guide the placement of pedicle screws. Robotics has developed rapidly since then, with three sys- tems leading the field in robotic-assisted spine surgery. Everything you need to know about the three major spine systems: ExcelsiusGPS (Globus Medical) Globus Medical acquired Excelsius in 2014 for an estimat- ed $40 million and earned CE Mark approval for Excel- siusGPS in the European Union in January 2017. e FDA provided 510(k) clearance for the system in August 2017. e device combines a robotic arm with navigation to im- prove accuracy in screw placement during spine surgery and reduce radiation exposure for the surgical team. e platform is priced at about $1.5 million and supports screw placement in several approaches, including poste- rior cervical, posterior thoracic sacroiliac and posterior lumbar. Mazor X (Medtronic) In December 2018, Medtronic completed the acquisition of Mazor Robotics in a $1.7 billion deal, as part of its plan to combine its spinal implants, navigation and 3D-imag- ing technology with the Mazor X robotic guidance system. One month later, Medtronic launched the Mazor X Stealth Edition for spine surgery, which allows surgeons to create personalized 3D surgical plans before surgery and holds surgical instrumentation in place with a robotic arm during spine procedures. e Mazor X costs about $850,000, with each surgery re- sulting in about $1,500 in disposables sales. ROSA Spine (Zimmer Biomet) In 2016, Zimmer Biomet acquired Medtech SA for at least $132 million. Medtech developed the ROSA Brain and ROSA Spine robotic-assisted surgery systems, which cost about $700,000 each. ROSA Spine was cleared by the FDA in 2016, but the com- pany's newer technology — the ROSA One Spine System — received FDA approval in March 2019. ROSA One Spine also combines robotics and navigation with real-time patient tracking capability, assisting sur- geons in minimally invasive and complex thoracolumbar spine procedures. n 4 pillars of Stryker's growth strategy from CEO Kevin Lobo By Laura Dyrda S ince Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo took the helm in 2012, the company has nearly doubled revenues. Mr. Lobo discussed his strategy at the Chief Executive's Healthcare CEO Summit in January, Four key notes: 1. Stryker has an aggressive acquisition strategy that prizes add- ons to fit into its existing business so the company can strength- en its position in all lines. "We want to be absolute leaders in the field," Mr. Lobo said at the event. 2. Research and development is an important aspect of the com- pany's acquisitions to ensure the technology is sound. Mr. Lobo reported Stryker spends around 6.5 percent of revenue on R&D. 3. Mr. Lobo prizes de-risked buys and would rather spend extra on acquiring technology he knows will work and then apply Stryker's ex- pertise to scale manufacturing. 4. Finally, Mr. Lobo attributed the company's success to the auton- omy he gives divisional leaders to innovate and identify the best deals to present at headquarters. n What Medtronic's outgoing CEO regrets the most By Angie Stewart D uring Omar Ishrak's nearly nine years as Medtronic CEO, he has been tasked with growing revenue in emerging markets, navigating value-based care and stabilizing the company's spine business, MedCity News reported. When Mr. Ishrak took over in mid-2011, Medtronic's stock price was about $38. Today, it's around $118. With his time at the company's helm coming to an end April 26, when he'll hand the reins to Geoff Martha and transition to an ex- ecutive chairman role, Mr. Ishrak reflected on his legacy at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Mr. Ishrak's biggest regret is not paying closer attention to free cash flow sooner than he did, he said in response to a MedCity News reporter's question. "We got too focused on the adjusted EPS number and the fact that the free cash flow is just there and everything is open in terms of currency and one-time events and all of that," he said. "We could have done better if we just paid more attention. And we've seen how quickly we moved the needle on that by getting everyone en- gaged. We could have done that two years before that or three years before that." n