While a number of companies cited continued supply chain issues in recent investor calls and earnings reports, few med-tech leaders have expressed concerns about serious disruption to operations or loss of revenue because of the destruction wrought by the invasion of Ukraine or the associated sanctions on Russia. Most companies derive less than 1% of their revenue from the two countries.

Digital health has made only limited headway in the orthopedics space, but Zimmer Biome Inc. and Canary Medical Inc. have nudged the cause along with a smart implant that blends a 21st century sensor with a traditional knee replacement device. The marriage of Zimmer’s Persona knee implant and the Canary Medical Canturio TE sensor will give physicians a better way to track the patient’s recovery from knee replacement procedures.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. has won the FDA’s nod for its Rosa Partial Knee system for robotically assisted partial knee arthroscopy. The new system is the latest addition to the Rosa Robotics platform, which also includes the Rosa Knee system for total knee replacement and Rosa One for neurosurgical and spine procedures. The Rosa Partial Knee system is designed to be compatible with Zimmer’s Personal partial knee. It incorporates 2D to 3D X-Atlas imaging technology and real-time, intraoperative data collection on both soft tissue and bone anatomies to ensure accurate bone cuts and improve range of motion gap analysis.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. continued its transformation, disclosing Friday that it will spin off its spine and dental businesses into a separate, publicly traded company. The move will enable the independent company, identified as Newco, to pursue strategies and growth in spine and dental solutions that have not been a major focus for Zimmer Biomet, while allowing the latter to focus on high-growth orthopedic segments.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. fell in line with other orthopedic device companies that saw better than expected results for the 2020 third quarter. The company reported total revenue of $1.93 billion, up 1.1% from the same period in 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a bump in the road for developers of digital surgical systems that include robotics, but the technology is still in demand. That was the message from industry leaders at the Advanced Medical Technology Association’s Virtual Medtech Conference.

The agenda for the U.S. FDA’s Sept. 8-9 advisory hearing includes a proposed down-classification of bone growth stimulator (BGS) devices to class II, but while the proposal met some resistance from an industry group, the panel sided with the FDA and declared BGS units ready for prime time as 510(k) devices.

Orthopedic companies felt pressure from COVID-19 in their most recent quarters. For example, Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. reported second-quarter net sales of $1.226 billion, a decrease of 38.3% from the prior-year period. Still, those revenues did come ahead of expectations, as Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen noted – $432 million ahead of his group's estimate and $305 million ahead of consensus.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., of Warsaw, Ind., reported good news for the fourth quarter, which saw net sales of $2.126 billion, an increase of 2.6% over the prior year period. In terms of geography, the Americas and Asia-Pacific stood out. In addition, the company witnessed strong results globally in its knee and hip businesses.