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J&J Ramps Up Medical
Device Business, Plans to
Launch 20+ Products by
2018: 7 Key Notes
By Anuja Vaidya
J
ohnson & Johnson's medical device segment plans to launch more
than 20 new products in both the clinical and consumer product
segments by 2018, according to a Med Device Online report.
Here are seven key notes:
1. Over the last several months, the company has been restructur-
ing its medical device business. In January, Johnson & Johnson an-
nounced plans to cut about 3,000 jobs in its medical-devices division,
as part of an effort to remove $1 billion in annual costs in the steriliza-
tion equipment and surgical tools business.
2. According to a recent earnings call, the strategy is working and the
medical device business is gaining momentum. J&J saw sales of $17.5
billion for the first quarter of 2016, an increase of 0.6 percent from the
first quarter of 2015. U.S. medical devices sales for the company totaled
$3.02 billion, an increase of 2.2 percent from the same period last year.
3. e proposed product launches are estimated to have a total sales
potential of $8 billion. is is predicted to drive overall growth be-
tween 4 percent and 6 percent per year by 2020.
4. Gary Pruden, J&J Worldwide chairman of medical devices, plans to
prioritize and accelerate innovation in areas such as robotics, Endocut-
ters and businesses that address "priority disease states," including
structural cardiovascular disease and obesity.
5. Additionally, J&J will also be investing resources in digital technolo-
gy and the development of connected health products.
6. Just last week, J&J announced a collaboration with HP on three-di-
mensional printing technologies for healthcare.
7. e J&J-HP collaboration will initially focus on personalization of
instrumentation and soware for patient-specific healthcare devices. n
5 Key Notes on Spinal Fusion
in ASCs: Clinical Outcomes &
Fusion Predictors
By Laura Dyrda
A
new study published in Spine examines out-
patient spine surgery in ambulatory surgery
centers.
The study authors, including William D. Smith, MD,
Richard N. Wohns, MD, MBA, and W. Blake Rodgers,
MD, examined lumbar spinal fusions in the outpatient
setting. They examined the predictors of early post-
operative discharge and tested the predictive model
against two clinical series of outpatient minimally in-
vasive lumbar fusion patients, according to the study.
There were 1,033 patients treated with minimally
invasive lateral interbody fusion grouped according
to the length of postoperative hospitalization; 873 pa-
tients were discharged in less than 24 hours and 160
were discharged after 24 hours or more. In the clinical
studies, there were 54 consecutive XLIF patients and
18 consecutive minimally invasive posterior fusion
patients treated in an ASC.
The researchers found:
1. The strongest baseline predictors for early dis-
charge were:
• Less advanced diagnosis
• Younger patients
• Elevated baseline hemoglobin levels
• Lower body mass index
2. The variables that were most predictive of early
discharge were elevated postoperative hemoglobin
levels and fewer levels treated.
3. The outpatient surgeries performed in the clinical
series were for younger patients and relatively few
levels — 96 percent were one- or two-level cases.
4. There weren't any intraoperative complications
among the clinical series outpatient cases. There were
few postoperative complications in the XLIF and the
minimally invasive posterior fusion procedures.
5. There weren't any emergent transfers to the inpa-
tient facilities.
"Select patients, by health and indication, can safely
be treated as outpatients with XLIF or other modern
MIS approaches," concluded the study authors. n
Proposed product launches to
have $8 billion total
sales potential.
