Should Stryker Worry About Zimmer’s New Robotics Offering?

October 30, 2018 Business, Medical Devices, Orthopedics, Robotics, Sales, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet

Zimmer Biomet is expected to launch a robot soon that will compete with Stryker’s Mako Total Knee offering.

Stryker’s Mako Total Knee offering continues to gain traction and drive growth for the Kalamazoo, MI-based orthopedics company, but the company faces imminent competition in the space from Warsaw, IN-based Zimmer Biomet.

During Stryker’s third-quarter earnings call, CEO Kevin Lobo said the company is approaching 600 robots globally, and Lobo said he feels bullish about the future of robotic-assisted surgery.

Katherine Owen, vice president of strategy and investor relations at Stryker, said 37 Mako robots were installed globally during the third quarter, with 26 of those installs being in the United States. Comparing those numbers to the same quarter last year, Owen said 33 Mako robots were installed in the year-ago quarter, with 23 of those installs being in the U.S. market.

Owen also noted that more than 50% of robots installed during the recent quarter were in competitive accounts where Stryker either has no market share or share well below the company’s average number. Also, she said about 145 surgeons were trained on the Total Knee application, bringing the total number of surgeons trained since launch to about 1,350. As for procedure volume, Owen said roughly 11,300 Mako Total Knee procedures were performed with the robot during the third quarter in the United States.

Zimmer Biomet is currently waiting for FDA approval of its Rosa robotics knee application and in Australia, the first five procedures have already been done. CEO Bryan Hanson told analysts during Zimmer Biomet’s third-quarter earnings call to expect the full launch of that product in the back half of 2019.

By Amanda Pedersen | MD+DI

Image Credit: Amanda Pedersen / MD+DI

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About Peter Coffaro 603 Articles

A growth-driven and strategic executive, Peter Coffaro commands more than 20 years of progressive management success within the medical device industry. As a District Sales Manager for Stryker Orthopaedics, Peter was responsible for managing and directing a regional sales force to achieve sales and profit goals within the Rocky Mountain region. Previously, he was the Director of Sales & Marketing for Amp Orthopedics. In this role, Peter was responsible for planning, developing, and leading all sales and marketing initiatives. Peter is a former orthopedic distributor in the Pacific Northwest. He has also worked with DePuy Orthopaedics as well as Zimmer, and held positions in sales, sales training, and sales management. Peter has an extensive background in organizational development, business development, sales management, negotiating and P&L management. Peter holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Northern Illinois University.