BoneSmart and Maxx Orthopedics Announce Collaboration on Initiatives to Educate Joint Replacement Patients

SAN DIEGOOct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — BoneSmart and Maxx Orthopedics are pleased to announce an exciting partnership to develop educational content for patients undergoing knee replacement surgery.

BoneSmart® is the largest joint replacement community in the world. More than 2.5 million unique users come to BoneSmart.org each year looking for information about joint replacement, in addition to searching for the orthopaedic surgeons that perform them.

The site offers joint replacement candidates and patients:

  • Information about hip, knee, and shoulder replacement surgery options, implants, and technologies as well as pre- and post-operative planning.
  • Access to the world’s largest online joint replacement patient support forum, staffed with over a dozen dedicated moderators.
  • Ability to find orthopaedic surgeons.

The collaboration between BoneSmart® and Maxx Orthopedic brings together an independent, educational platform for patients and a rapidly growing orthopaedic implant manufacturer in the world.

“BoneSmart is excited about this collaboration which brings Maxx Orthopedics’ Freedom Knee® implants and surgeons to our patient community,” said Mark Sacaris, CEO, BoneSmart, LLC.

The opportunities for Maxx Orthopedics are to provide awareness and education on its Freedom Knee® System to BoneSmart patients, as well as, connect BoneSmart patients to orthopaedic surgeons that use these implants.

“Maxx Orthopedics is excited about this collaboration, which brings together our Freedom Knee® System and surgeons to BoneSmart’s robust patient community,” said Ashesh Shah, CEO, Maxx Orthopedics.

ABOUT BONESMART
BoneSmart.org is the award-winning website for a public-awareness and patient advocacy organization for joint replacement patients. BoneSmart is part of The Foundation for the Advancement in Research in Medicine, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit organization, supported by donations and underwriting from corporate partners.

BoneSmart® is dedicated to raising awareness about the latest joint replacement options, fostering a supportive community through the world’s largest joint replacement forum where members can share experiences, knowledge, and stories.  BoneSmart produces the annual Joint Replacement Awareness Day® program to bring together the global joint replacement community through the JointAwareDay.org website.

ABOUT MAXX ORTHOPEDICS
Maxx Medical Pvt. Ltd. (“Maxx Medical”) develops and markets innovative orthopedic medical devices on an international scale. The company is focused on providing state-of-the-art implants and related solutions that best restore patient mobility while accommodating lifestyle, anatomical and economic needs. Maxx Medical is the parent company of Maxx Orthopedics, Inc., the manufacturer of the Freedom Knee® System.

Media Contact:
Mark Sacaris
Mark@bonesmart.org
(760) 815-6474

SOURCE BoneSmart, LLC

Related Links

http://www.bonesmart.org

Life Spine Announces First Clinical Cases of PROLIFT® Post Pack Expandable TLIF/PLIF Spacer System

October 30, 2018

HUNTLEY, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Life Spine, a medical device company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets products for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders today announced the first clinical cases of PROLIFT Post Pack Expandable Interbody System with Dr. Richard Weiner of Dallas, Texas and Dr. Bryan Barnes of Athens, Georgia.

PROLIFT Post Pack allows for in-situ disc height restoration, for minimally invasive PLIF, TLIF and oblique approaches, as well as a systematic method for the introduction of additional graft material in-situ within the device. PROLIFT Post Pack, which incorporates the proprietary surface technology OSSEO-LOC, provides the surgeon the ability to restore normal spinal pelvic parameters with the multiple lordotic options, while continuing to build upon the patented expandable technologies at Life Spine.

“Expandable technology, such as PROLIFT Post Pack, continues the innovation process for challenges associated with complex spine procedures, as well as providing the means to enhance patient outcomes. Restoration of normal spinal alignment, as well as lowering iatrogenic impact to the patient’s anatomy can all be achieved with the technology developed by Life Spine,” noted Richard L. Weiner M.D. of Dallas Neurosurgical and Spine at Texas Institute for Surgery.

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is one of the fastest growing segments in the spinal implant market. Trends and market research have noted that in 2011 MIS surgical solutions made up 20% of all surgical procedures, and that by the year 2021, this paradigm with have expanded to almost 80%1. Development of MIS technologies such as the ProLift, and complementary fixation systems such as the AVATAR® Percutaneous Screw System and CENTERLINE® Cortical Bone Fixation Systems allow Life Spine to provide surgeons the tools to support these important surgical procedure advancements and trends. In addition, the advancement of MIS access products like CENTRIC®-T Pedicle-Based Retractor System and CALYPSO® Midline Retractor System, enhance Life Spine’s goal of offering full MIS procedural solutions.

“One of the cornerstones for successful spinal fusion surgery is providing an environment to enhance the fusion process. Facilitating in-situ delivery of bone grafting material after placement increases the volume within and around the device required for a successful fusion,” noted Bryan B. Barnes, MD of the Georgia Neurological Surgery & Georgia Comprehensive Spine in Athens, Georgia.

About Life Spine

Life Spine is dedicated to improving the quality of life for spinal patients by increasing procedural efficiency and efficacy through innovative design, uncompromising quality standards, and the most technologically advanced manufacturing platforms. Life Spine, which is privately held, is based in Huntley, Illinois. For more information, please visit: http://www.lifespine.com.

1: 2015 iData Reports

Life Spine is a registered trademark

Contacts

Life Spine
Mr. Omar Faruqi
Chief Financial Officer
ofaruqi@lifespine.com
847-884-6117

South Denver Surgery Center First to Deploy 7D Surgical’s Machine-Vision Image Guided Surgery (MvIGS) Platform in Colorado

TORONTOOct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — As providers around the world look for new and innovative ways to improve surgical outcomes and patient safety, the South Denver Surgery Center has taken a leap into the future with the installation of the 7D Surgical System for spinal procedures.  This system virtually replaces standard fluoroscopy, providing the surgical team with a fast, accurate and radiation-free tool for the placement of spinal implants.

“7D Surgical’s technology makes perfect sense in the ASC setting where speed, safety, ease of use and cost are critical factors,” said Beau Standish, Chief Executive Officer of 7D Surgical.  “We will expand our presence in the ASC market while continuing to build on our hospital based installations.”

The 7D Surgical System is the first and only Machine-Vision Image Guided Surgery (MvIGS) platform. For the first-time, spine surgeons can guide their tools to the critical anatomy using sophisticated camera technology linked to a computer in the operating theater.  The underlying technology is similar to what is used in the latest self-driving automobiles.  Unlike time-consuming, conventional image guided surgery (IGS) systems that depend on intraoperative radiation, this new MvIGS platform can achieve an incredibly fast surgical workflow for spine procedures, reducing operative time for patients.

“We’re excited to be the first to have the new 7D Surgical navigation system in the western United States.  We feel this technology offers groundbreaking workflow efficiency to optimize patient outcomes and patient safety,” said Dr. David Vansickle, neurosurgeon with Neurosurgery One.

Dr. J. Adair Prall, also with Neurosurgery One, agrees. “This system puts us right where we want to be in the outpatient environment – fast, accurate, safe and cost-effective.  This technology is the future of spine surgery.”

If you are a surgeon or facility administrator and interested in learning more about 7D Surgical, please visit www.7Dsurgical.com or contact our team at 203933@email4pr.com.

About 7D Surgical

7D Surgical is a privately-owned Toronto based company that develops advanced optical technologies and machine vision-based registration algorithms to improve surgical workflow and patient care. 7D Surgical’s flagship FDA 510(k)-cleared and Health Canada approved MvIGS system delivers profound improvement to surgical workflows in spine and cranial surgery.  The underlying technology provides the promise of similar future advancements for other surgical specialties.

Contact:
Beau Standish, CEO
7D Surgical
+1 647 484-0078
203933@email4pr.com

SOURCE 7D Surgical

Related Links

http://www.7Dsurgical.com

Orthofix Reports Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

October 29, 2018

LEWISVILLE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Orthofix Medical Inc. (previously Orthofix International N.V.) (NASDAQ:OFIX) today reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018. Net sales were $111.7 million, net loss per share from continuing operations was $0.07 and adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations was $0.43.

“In addition to solid financial performance on both the top line and adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter, we made significant operational progress in the alignment of our Bone Growth Therapy, Spinal Implants and Biologics segments into Orthofix Spine,” said Brad Mason, Orthofix President and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that our market-leading technologies in osteogenesis stimulation and stem cell allografts, together with the M6 cervical disc, once it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will uniquely position us in the spine market overall and particularly in the cervical spine segment. We also believe this combination of spine products in conjunction with our historical strength in Orthofix Extremities provides the platforms for us to drive accelerating growth as we move into 2019 and for the foreseeable future.”

Financial Results Overview

The following table provides net sales by reporting segments:

Three Months Ended September 30,
(Unaudited, U.S. Dollars, in thousands) 2018 2017 Change Constant

Currency

Change

Bone Growth Therapies1 $ 48,059 $ 44,427 8.2 % 8.2 %
Spinal Implants2 22,102 20,155 9.7 %

4

10.0 %

4

Biologics 14,636 15,218 (3.8 %)

5

(3.8 %)

5

Orthofix Extremities3 26,911 25,447 5.8 % 7.5 %
Net sales $ 111,708 $ 105,247 6.1 %

6

6.6 %

6

1 Formerly referred to as BioStim
2 Formerly referred to as Spine Fixation
3 Formerly referred to as Extremity Fixation
4 Excluding Spinal Kinetics, net sales decreased 4.5% on a reported basis and 4.3% on a constant currency basis
5 Excluding the contractual reduction in fee for marketing services, the growth year over year was 3.7% on a reported and constant currency basis
6 Excluding Spinal Kinetics and the contractual reduction in fee for marketing services, the increase was 4.5% on a reported basis and 5.0% on a constant currency basis

 

Gross margin increased 100 basis points compared to the prior year period primarily driven by costs savings from our 2017 U.S. restructuring initiative and continued improvement related to inventory management initiatives. Non-GAAP net margin, an internal metric that the Company defines as gross profit less sales and marketing expenses, was $37.8 million compared to $34.0 million in the prior year period. As a percentage of net sales, non-GAAP net margin increased to 33.8% as compared to 32.3% in the prior year period, primarily due to the improvement in gross margin and improvements in commission rates.

GAAP net loss from continuing operations was ($1.2) million, or ($0.07) per share, compared to net income of $3.3 million, or $0.18 per share in the prior year period. This decrease was primarily driven by changes in the fair value of contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Spinal Kinetics and an unrealized loss on investment securities recognized during the third quarter of 2018. Adjusted net income from continuing operations was $8.2 million, or $0.43 per share, compared to adjusted net income of $7.7 million, or $0.42 per share in the prior year period. Excluding the impact of the Spinal Kinetics operating loss in the period, adjusted net income was $9.5 million, or $0.50 per share, a 19.0% increase over prior year.

EBITDA was $3.6 million, compared to $14.5 million in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA was $21.4 million, or 19.2% of net sales, for the third quarter, compared to $21.1 million, or 20.1% of net sales, in the prior year period.

Liquidity

As of September 30, 2018, cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash totaled $56.2 million compared to $81.2 million as of December 31, 2017. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had no outstanding indebtedness and borrowing capacity of $125 million under its existing credit facility. Cash flow from operations was $28.8 million, an increase of $19.7 million, and free cash flow was $18.1 million, an increase of $22.3 million when compared to the same prior year period.

2018 Updated Outlook

For the year ending December 31, 2018, the Company expects the following results, assuming exchange rates are the same as those currently prevailing.

Previous 2018 Outlook Current 2018 Outlook
(Unaudited, U.S. Dollars, in millions, except per share data) Low High Low High
Net sales $ 450.0 $ 456.0 $ 451.0 1 $ 455.0 1
Net income from continuing operations $ 18.3 $ 19.7 $

11.4

$

12.7

Adjusted EBITDA $ 85.0 $ 87.0 $ 85.5 $ 87.0
EPS from continuing operations $ 0.97 $ 1.04 $

0.60

$

0.67

Adjusted EPS from continuing operations $ 1.66 $ 1.72 $ 1.70 $ 1.75
1

Represents a year-over-year increase of 4.0% to 4.9% on a reported basis

Conference Call

Orthofix will host a conference call today at 4:30 PM Eastern time to discuss the Company’s financial results for the third quarter of 2018. Interested parties may access the conference call by dialing (844) 809-1992 in the U.S. and (612) 979-9886 outside the U.S., and referencing the conference ID 6295495. A replay of the call will be available for two weeks by dialing (855) 859-2056 in the U.S. and (404) 537-3406 outside the U.S., and entering the conference ID 6295495. A webcast of the conference call may be accessed by going to the Company’s website at www.orthofix.com, by clicking on the Investors link and then the Events and Presentations page.

About Orthofix

Orthofix Medical Inc. is a global medical device company focused on musculoskeletal products and therapies. The Company’s mission is to improve patients’ lives by providing superior reconstruction and regenerative musculoskeletal solutions to physicians worldwide. Headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, Orthofix’s spine and orthopedic extremities products are distributed in over seventy countries via the Company’s sales representatives and distributors. For more information, please visit www.orthofix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“the Exchange Act”), and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to our business and financial outlook, which are based on our current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of our future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof, unless it is specifically otherwise stated to be made as of a different date. We undertake no obligation to further update any such statement, or the risk factors described in Part I, Item 1A under the heading Risk Factors in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and other SEC filings, to reflect new information, the occurrence of future events or circumstances or otherwise.

ORTHOFIX MEDICAL INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
September 30, September 30,
(Unaudited, U.S. Dollars, in thousands, except share and per share data) 2018 2017 2018 2017
Net sales $ 111,708 $ 105,247 $ 331,964 $ 316,927
Cost of sales 24,020 23,717 71,002 69,475
Gross profit 87,688 81,530 260,962 247,452
Sales and marketing 49,898 47,493 151,695 146,496
General and administrative 22,705 18,068 64,457 56,759
Research and development 9,598 6,935 24,426 21,246
Changes in fair value of contingent consideration 1,580 2,689
Operating income 3,907 9,034 17,695 22,951
Interest income (expense), net (181 ) (15 ) (615 ) 106
Other income (expense), net (5,054 ) 479 (5,785 ) (3,284 )
Income (loss) before income taxes (1,328 ) 9,498 11,295 19,773
Income tax benefit (expense) 115 (6,150 ) (6,346 ) (13,998 )
Net income (loss) from continuing operations (1,213 ) 3,348 4,949 5,775
Discontinued operations
Income (loss) from discontinued operations 65 (3 ) (1,762 )
Income tax benefit (expense) 2 43 (6 ) 642
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 2 108 (9 ) (1,120 )
Net income (loss) $ (1,211 ) $ 3,456 $ 4,940 $ 4,655
Net income (loss) per common share—basic
Net income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.07 ) $ 0.18 $ 0.26 $ 0.32
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 0.01 (0.06 )
Net income (loss) per common share—basic $ (0.07 ) $ 0.19 $ 0.26 $ 0.26
Net income (loss) per common share—diluted
Net income (loss) from continuing operations $ (0.07 ) $ 0.18 $ 0.26 $ 0.31
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 0.01 (0.06 )
Net income (loss) per common share—diluted $ (0.07 ) $ 0.19 $ 0.26 $ 0.25
Weighted average number of common shares:
Basic 18,562,204 18,180,845 18,460,848 18,071,093
Diluted 18,562,204 18,572,791 18,864,169 18,394,542

 

 

READ THE REST HERE

 

 

Medical Device Makers Shut Out Of Value-Based Care Without Kickback Rule Change

Oct 26, 2018 / Bruce Japsen 

The medical device industry is pushing for a change in the federal anti-kickback law to allow companies to fully participate in the shift away from fee-for-service medicine to value-based care.

The device industry wants changes known as “safe harbors” designed to prevent medical device makers from running afoul of healthcare fraud laws that impose penalties if individuals knowingly pay for or induce a sale or referral. Such rules are applied to medical care providers, insurers and other companies that have their services, products and devices covered by government health insurance.

The value-based care form of payment rewards medical care providers by compensating doctors and hospitals that achieve the best health outcomes. That is in contrast to the traditional fee-for-service form of payment that is based on volume of medical care delivered and is known to increase healthcare costs in the form of unnecessary tests and procedures.

But device makers are limited despite the role of medical technology and devices in healthcare advancements. Thus, the industry Friday submitted suggestions to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, which is seeking input on rule changes related to value-based care payments.

“Device makers cannot currently enter into certain value-based partnerships because federal rules prevent them from providing any incentives unless they fall within safe harbor or a waiver,” said Scott Whitaker, chief executive officer of The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). The trade group represents some of the world’s biggest medical device makers including Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Stryker and Baxter International.

 The device industry wants clarity on how they can at least participate in a Medicare reimbursement structure that allows the company and the provider to share in savings should they create a system that led to a better outcome at a lower price,” Whitaker said. “The best way to accomplish this is through new value-based safe harbors for pricing arrangements, warranties, and risk-sharing arrangements.”

 

READ THE REST HERE

 

 

Photo Credit: Getty Royalty Free / Forbes

 

Zimmer Biomet Announces Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

WARSAW, Ind.Oct. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH) today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.  The Company reported third quarter net sales of $1.837 billion, an increase of 1.3% over the prior year period, and an increase of 2.3% on a constant currency basis.  Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter were $0.79, an increase of 65% over the prior year period.  Third quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.63, a decrease of 5% from the prior year period.

“We are pleased with our third quarter accomplishments, which reflect our sustained progress in a number of areas.  Although our sales results clearly benefited from less challenging sales comparisons, as well as the timing of certain tenders and capital sales, our organic growth continued to signal that we are turning the business around consistent with our expectations,” said Bryan Hanson, President and CEO of Zimmer Biomet.  “Looking to the balance of the year, we will continue to focus on priorities to improve the consistency of our results and drive sustained value creation.  These include important new innovations that are expanding our comprehensive portfolio, advancing standards of care and creating new opportunities for our salesforce to deliver growth.”

Net earnings for the third quarter were $162.2 million, and $334.6 million on an adjusted basis.  Operating cash flow for the third quarter was $484.1 million.  Free cash flow in the quarter was $345.0 million.

In the quarter, the Company paid $48.8 million in dividends and declared a third quarter dividend of $0.24 per share.

Guidance

The Company made minor updates to its full-year 2018 guidance.  The only factors changing are the expected impact of foreign currency and the expected adjusted effective tax rate.  All other prior guidance for 2018 remains unchanged.

  • The Company now expects the positive impact of foreign currency translation to be slightly below the low end of the previous range of 100 to 150 basis points, due to the strengthening of the dollar over the last several months.
  • The Company now expects the adjusted effective tax rate for the full year to be slightly below the low end of the previous range of 18.5% to 19.5%(1).

(1)  

This is a non-GAAP financial measure for which a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is not available without unreasonable efforts.  See “Forward-Looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Conference Call

The Company will conduct its third quarter 2018 investor conference call today, October 26, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  The audio webcast can be accessed via Zimmer Biomet’s Investor Relations website at http://investor.zimmerbiomet.com.  It will be archived for replay following the conference call.

Sales Tables
The following sales tables provide results by geography and product category, as well as the percentage change compared to the prior year quarter and nine months, on both a reported basis and a constant currency basis.

NET SALES – THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

(in millions, unaudited)

Constant

Net

Currency

Sales

% Change

% Change

Geographic Results

Americas

$

1,154

1.5

%

1.7

%

EMEA

372

(2.3)

Asia Pacific

311

5.4

7.6

Total

$

1,837

1.3

%

2.3

%

Product Categories

Knees

Americas

$

385

0.8

%

1.0

%

EMEA

134

(0.6)

2.6

Asia Pacific

109

2.5

5.4

Total

628

0.8

2.1

Hips

Americas

240

5.9

6.2

EMEA

108

(6.4)

(4.1)

Asia Pacific

97

6.7

8.6

Total

445

2.8

3.9

S.E.T *

415

2.4

3.1

Dental

92

(0.6)

(0.2)

Spine & CMF**

185

0.2

0.7

Other

72

(4.0)

(3.3)

Total

$

1,837

1.3

%

2.3

%

* Surgical, Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, Extremities and Trauma

** Craniomaxillofacial

NET SALES – NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

(in millions, unaudited)

Constant

Net

Currency

Sales

% Change

% Change

Geographic Results

Americas

$

3,578

0.2

%

0.1

%

EMEA

1,326

4.2

(1.7)

Asia Pacific

958

7.4

5.2

Total

$

5,862

2.2

%

0.5

%

Product Categories

Knees

Americas

$

1,210

(0.4)

%

(0.5)

%

EMEA

494

6.8

1.1

Asia Pacific

340

4.4

2.6

Total

2,044

2.0

0.4

Hips

Americas

$

738

3.3

3.1

EMEA

384

0.4

(5.2)

Asia Pacific

302

8.7

6.2

Total

1,424

3.6

1.4

S.E.T *

1,291

3.3

1.8

Dental

307

(1.4)

(3.7)

Spine & CMF**

566

0.4

(0.6)

Other

230

(0.8)

(2.1)

Total

$

5,862

2.2

%

0.5

%

* Surgical, Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, Extremities and Trauma

** Craniomaxillofacial

About the Company

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer Biomet is a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare. We design, manufacture and market orthopaedic reconstructive products; sports medicine, biologics, extremities and trauma products; office based technologies; spine, craniomaxillofacial and thoracic products; dental implants; and related surgical products.

We collaborate with healthcare professionals around the globe to advance the pace of innovation. Our products and solutions help treat patients suffering from disorders of, or injuries to, bones, joints or supporting soft tissues. Together with healthcare professionals, we help millions of people live better lives.

We have operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sell products in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.zimmerbiomet.com or follow Zimmer Biomet on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zimmerbiomet.

Website Information

We routinely post important information for investors on our website, www.zimmerbiomet.com, in the “Investor Relations” section.  We use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.  Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts.  The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

Reclassifications

Beginning in the second quarter 2018, in our consolidated statements of earnings we have reclassified expenses that were previously recognized in a financial statement line item labeled, “Acquisition, quality remediation and other” to the financial statement line items of “Research and development”, “Selling, general and administrative”, “Goodwill and intangible asset impairment”, “Acquisition, integration and related”, and “Quality remediation”.  Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

Note on Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes non-GAAP financial measures that differ from financial measures calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).  These non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similar measures reported by other companies and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, other measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Sales change information for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 are presented on a GAAP (reported) basis and on a constant currency basis.  Constant currency percentage changes exclude the effects of foreign currency exchange rates.  They are calculated by translating current and prior-period sales at the same predetermined exchange rate.  The translated results are then used to determine year-over-year percentage increases or decreases.

Net earnings and diluted earnings per share for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2018 are presented on a GAAP (reported) basis and on an adjusted basis.  Adjusted earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude the effects of inventory step-up; certain inventory and manufacturing-related charges, including charges to discontinue certain product lines; intangible asset amortization; goodwill and intangible asset impairment; acquisition, integration and related expenses; quality remediation expenses; certain litigation gains and charges; other charges; any related effects on our income tax provision associated with these items; and other certain tax adjustments.

Free cash flow is an additional non-GAAP measure that is presented in this press release. Free cash flow is computed by deducting additions to instruments and other property, plant and equipment from net cash provided by operating activities.

Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in this press release. This press release also contains supplemental reconciliations of additional non-GAAP financial measures that the Company presents in other contexts. These additional non-GAAP financial measures are computed from the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure as indicated in the applicable reconciliation.

Management uses non-GAAP financial measures internally to evaluate the performance of the business.  Additionally, management believes these non-GAAP measures provide meaningful incremental information to investors to consider when evaluating the performance of the Company.  Management believes these measures offer the ability to make period-to-period comparisons that are not impacted by certain items that can cause dramatic changes in reported income but that do not impact the fundamentals of our operations.  The non-GAAP measures enable the evaluation of operating results and trend analysis by allowing a reader to better identify operating trends that may otherwise be masked or distorted by these types of items that are excluded from the non-GAAP measures.  In addition, constant currency sales changes, adjusted operating profit, adjusted diluted earnings per share and free cash flow are used as performance metrics in our incentive compensation programs.

Forward-Looking Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release also includes the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure of adjusted effective tax rate for the year ending December 31, 2018.  We calculate forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures based on internal forecasts that omit certain amounts that would be included in GAAP financial measures.  For instance, we exclude the impact of certain potential charges or gains connected to quality remediation efforts and certain legal and tax matters.  We have not provided a quantitative reconciliation of this forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measure because the excluded items are not available on a prospective basis without unreasonable efforts.  It is probable that this forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure may be materially different from the corresponding GAAP financial measure.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others, statements regarding sales and earnings guidance and any statements about our expectations, plans, strategies or prospects.   We generally use the words “may,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “assumes,” “guides,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “sees,” “seeks,” “should,” “could,” “intends” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.   All statements other than statements of historical or current fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements.   Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially.  These risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances include, but are not limited to:  our chief executive officer transition, including disruptions and uncertainties related thereto, the potential impact on our business and future strategic direction resulting from our transition to a new chief executive officer, and our ability to recruit and retain other key members of senior management; the possibility that the anticipated synergies and other benefits from mergers and acquisitions will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time periods; the risks and uncertainties related to our ability to successfully integrate the operations, products, employees and distributors of acquired companies; the effect of the potential disruption of management’s attention from ongoing business operations due to integration matters related to mergers and acquisitions; the effect of mergers and acquisitions on our relationships with customers, vendors and lenders and on our operating results and businesses generally; compliance with the Deferred Prosecution Agreement entered into in January 2017; the success of our quality and operational excellence initiatives, including ongoing quality remediation efforts at our Warsaw North Campus facility; challenges relating to changes in and compliance with governmental laws and regulations affecting our U.S. and international businesses, including regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and foreign government regulators, such as more stringent requirements for regulatory clearance of products; the ability to remediate matters identified in any inspectional observations or warning letters issued by the FDA, while continuing to satisfy the demand for our products; the outcome of government investigations; competition; pricing pressures; changes in customer demand for our products and services caused by demographic changes or other factors; the impact of healthcare reform measures; reductions in reimbursement levels by third-party payors and cost containment efforts of healthcare purchasing organizations; dependence on new product development, technological advances and innovation; shifts in the product category or regional sales mix of our products and services; supply and prices of raw materials and products; control of costs and expenses; the ability to obtain and maintain adequate intellectual property protection; the ability to form and implement alliances; changes in tax obligations arising from tax reform measures, including European Union rules on state aid, or examinations by tax authorities; product liability and intellectual property litigation losses; the ability to retain the independent agents and distributors who market our products; dependence on a limited number of suppliers for key raw materials and outsourced activities; changes in general industry and market conditions, including domestic and international growth rates; changes in general domestic and international economic conditions, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of the ongoing financial and political uncertainty on countries in the Euro zone on the ability to collect accounts receivable in affected countries.  For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.  Copies of these filings, as well as subsequent filings, are available online at www.sec.govwww.zimmerbiomet.com or on request from us.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  Readers of this release are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements, since there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate.  This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this release.

 

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American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons announces the launch of its Shoulder and Elbow Registry

ROSEMONT, IllOct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) announced the launch of its Shoulder and Elbow Registry (SER) to begin collecting data on total shoulder and elbow procedures in the United States. At launch, the SER will collect total shoulder arthroplasty procedures data. In 2019, the registry also will have the capability to capture rotator cuff repair and total elbow arthroplasty procedures data.

“Registries are tools to help the medical profession collect data, report, and benchmark to define patient-centered quality care to identify potential procedural or implant problems before it becomes a widespread public health issue. Other national joint replacement registries such as the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register have proven that monitoring survivorship can reduce revision rates. That translates into reducing direct medical costs and, more importantly, improving patient care and quality of life,” says AAOS President David A. Halsey, MD, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

The AAOS is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The SER will be the second in a series of anatomical registries in development as part of the AAOS’ Registry Program to establish survivorship curves, track revisions, and improve quality of care for all patients. The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR)—the Academy’s hip and knee replacement registry—is the cornerstone of the AAOS’s Registry Program, and the world’s largest national registry of hip and knee joint replacement data by annual procedural count, with more than 1.4 million procedures contained within its database.

“In addition to reducing the overall public cost, joint registries demonstrate up to a 50 percent reduction in revision rates after registry initiation and identification of best practices,” says Gerald R. Williams Jr., MD, chair of the AAOS’ SER Steering Committee and Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “There are more than 750,000 total shoulder arthroplasty, rotator cuff repair, and total elbow arthroplasty surgeries performed in the United Stateseach year. An evidence-based registry, like the Shoulder and Elbow Registry, is a cost-effective way to benchmark risk-adjusted data, and provide greater context to patient outcomes comparisons. Identifying improvement needs can potentially mitigate surgical revisions which could lead to millions of dollars in stakeholder savings annually.”

The SER was developed in conjunction with representatives from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.

“In 1917, American shoulder surgery pioneer EA Codman challenged that patients should be followed long enough to determine if treatments proved successful. More than 100 years later, the AAOS and the ASES are taking a huge step toward that goal,” says Grant E. Garrigues, MD, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “Every ASES member must take up this charge and truly follow our shoulder patients’ outcomes, pool this data with other surgeons, and determine the optimal treatments for our patients. This registry is a powerful tool to make this possible. This type of data registry is the key to improving patient outcomes and defining best practices.”

About the AAOS
With more than 38,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS provides educational programs for orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, champions and advances the highest quality musculoskeletal care for patients, and is the authoritative source of information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related issues.

More information about the AAOS  
More information about the AAOS Shoulder and Elbow Registry  
Follow the AAOS on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

SOURCE American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Related Links

http://www.aaos.org

CartiHeal Performs the 100th Agili-C™ Implant Procedure in Italy in the Company’s IDE Multinational Pivotal Study

KFAR SABA, Israel and MILANOct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — CartiHeal, developer of the proprietary Agili-C implant for the treatment of joint surface lesions, and the Principal Investigator Professor Elizaveta Kon, MD, PhD of Humanitas Orthopedic Center of Milan, announced today the successful enrollment and surgery  of  the 100th patient in the Agili-C IDE pivotal study.

“I’m excited to operate on the 100th patient in this important IDE study. The patient I enrolled and operated on today is a 47-year-old female, with a 3.6cm2 osteochondral defect in the center of the trochlea” said Prof. Kon. “The patient was randomized to the Agilli-C arm and treated with a single implant. I’m very pleased that the patient was randomized to the implant group, as I have very positive experience using this implant for similar indications. If everything goes as planned, I expect fast recovery and significant pain relief. This was my 8th patient in the study and I’m planning to enroll more patients shortly”, she added.

“I’ve been involved in CartiHeal’s previous clinical trials, and operated to date on over 40 patients with the Agili-C. Based on the positive clinical outcomes from the previous studies, I have strong confidence that this implant will be a game changer in the field of cartilage repair” concluded Prof. Kon.

Nir Altschuler, CartiHeal’s founder & CEO said: “Prof. Kon is a great surgeon and one of the first in the world to use our Agili-C implant. Her first patients were operated on over 4 years ago. We are pleased and impressed with her enrollment rate, and look forward to continuing our collaboration.

We’d like to thank all our Investigators and Study Coordinators for enrolling 100 patients in the first year of the study.”

The IDE study that was initiated a year ago is currently ongoing in the US, EU and Israel, with the purpose of an FDA PMA application. The trial’s objective is to demonstrate the superiority of the Agili-C implant over surgical standard of care (microfracture and debridement) for the treatment of cartilage or osteochondral defects, in both arthritic knees and knees without degenerative changes.

For more information about the study please refer to www.cartiheal.com

CartiHeal’s cell-free, off-the-shelf implant is CE marked for use in cartilage and osteochondral defects. Agili-C has been implanted in over 400 patients with cartilage lesions in the knee, ankle and great toe in a series of trials conducted at leading centers in Europe and Israel. In these trials, the implant was used to treat a broad spectrum of cartilage lesions, from single focal lesions to multiple and large defects in patients suffering from osteoarthritis.

About CartiHeal

CartiHeal, a privately-held medical device company with headquarters in Israel, develops proprietary implants for the treatment of cartilage and osteochondral defects in traumatic and osteoarthritic joints.

In the United States, the Agili-C implant is not available for sale – it is an investigational device limited for use in the IDE study only.

Contact:           
info@cartiheal.com 
www.cartiheal.com

SOURCE CartiHeal

Related Links

http://www.cartiheal.com

Samumed Phase 2b Trial in Knee Osteoarthritis Meets Primary Endpoints

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Samumed announced today top-line data from its phase 2b trial of SM04690 in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Results showed that treatment with a single intra-articular injection of SM04690 demonstrated significant improvements in pain, function and patient global scores in two separate doses. Further details can be found here.

Samumed’s phase 2b trial was a 700-patient, 24-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of four concentrations of SM04690, a Wnt pathway inhibitor, injected once intra-articularly into the target knee joint of subjects with moderately to severely symptomatic knee OA. Details of the study can be found here.

“The safety profile, the improvements in signs and symptoms, and the disease-modifying benefits of SM04690 that we have observed in this phase 2b as well as earlier studies, are quite promising,” said Osman Kibar, CEO of Samumed. “We look forward to working with the FDA to take SM04690 into phase 3 pivotal trials, targeting a start date in early 2019.”

About SM04690 and Osteoarthritis
SM04690 is a small molecule inhibitor of the Wnt pathway administered as an intra-articular injection and is being developed as a potential disease-modifying drug for osteoarthritis (DMOAD). SM04690’s mechanism of action exhibits three separate effects on joint health – generation of cartilage, slowing down of cartilage breakdown, and reduction of inflammation. There are currently no approved disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis. Additional information on Samumed’s SM04690 osteoarthritis program can be found here: https://www.samumed.com/pipeline/detail.aspx?id=20

About Samumed 
Samumed’s small-molecule drug platform is harnessing the innate restorative power of the Wnt pathway to reverse the course of severe and prevalent diseases. Learn more about Samumed’s potential regenerative drug candidates and broad clinical pipeline at https://www.samumed.com/pipeline/default.aspx

Corporate Contact:
Erich Horsley
Samumed, LLC
erich@samumed.com
858-365-0200

Investor Contact:
Ashley Robinson
LifeSci Advisors
arr@lifesciadvisors.com
617-535-7742

Media Contact:
Josephine Belluardo, Ph.D.
LifeSci Public Relations
jo@lifescipublicrelations.com
646-751-4361

Susan M. Stalnecker Named to Bioventus Board of Managers

October 25, 2018

DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bioventus, a global leader in orthobiologic solutions, today announced the appointment of Susan M. Stalnecker, former Vice President and Treasurer, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, to the company’s Board of Managers, replacing Michael Minogue.

“Susan is joining the Bioventus Board at an exciting time as we accelerate the growth of our osteoarthritis business, expand our surgical orthobiologics business and continue to launch our products in new international markets like Brazil,” said Tony Bihl, CEO of Bioventus. “Her global financial background, experience leading audit and finance committees and leadership roles on both public company and nonprofit boards will provide us with fresh perspectives and insights to help drive our strategy to be a global leader in orthobiologics.”

“The orthobiologic space intrigues me and I believe I can help the team at Bioventus achieve their goals of bringing more solutions to market to help patients heal and return to active lifestyles,” said Stalnecker. “Clinicians and spine surgeons around the world are noticing this company and its innovations, and I am eager to guide Bioventus as it continues to grow into these markets.”

Stalnecker served as Vice President of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company until she retired in 2016. During her nearly 40-year career at DuPont she served in several senior leadership roles including Vice President, Treasurer & M&A Vice President, Risk Management; Vice President-Government and Consumer Markets; and, Vice President Productivity & Shared Services.

Stalnecker served on the Board of trustees of Duke University from 2003 to 2015, and as Vice Chair from 2003-2005. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Leidos Holdings, Inc., Board of Trustees, Optimum Fund Trust and the Board of Trustees, Duke Health System. In addition, she was a Board Director of PPL Corporation. She is also a Senior Adviser, Boston Consulting Group.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Graduate Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

About Bioventus

Bioventus is an orthobiologics company that delivers clinically proven, cost-effective products that help people heal quickly and safely. Its mission is to make a difference by helping patients resume and enjoy active lives. The orthobiologic products from Bioventus include offerings for osteoarthritis, surgical and non-surgical bone healing. Built on a commitment to high quality standards, evidence-based medicine and strong ethical behavior, Bioventus is a trusted partner for physicians worldwide. For more information, visit www.BioventusGlobal.com and follow the company on Twitter @Bioventusglobal.

Bioventus and the Bioventus logo are registered trademarks of Bioventus LLC.

Contacts

Bioventus
Thomas Hill, 919-474-6715
thomas.hill@bioventusglobal.com