Medtech in a Minute: Dexcom's 'Incredibly Impressive' G7 Data, and More

Dexcom G7 data is 'incredibly impressive'

At the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference, Robbie Marcus, a senior analyst at J.P. Morgan, remarked that the Dexcom G7 data is "incredibly impressive ... accurate amongst pediatrics and adults, and that's very difficult to do across all days, across all metrics." Presented to the public for the first time at the virtual conference, the study dataset is three times larger than Dexcom's G6 dataset, and "much larger" than any dataset in the industry for continuous glucose monitoring systems, according to Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer.

iRhythm Gets Some Good News, Finally

iRhythm hit some major reimbursement speed bumps last year, but things appear to be looking up. Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) Novitas posted updated rates this week that are more favorable for the company's Zio Patch technology, compared to the drastically slashed rates the MAC posted nearly a year ago.

J&J Is Working with Microsoft

Medical device companies like Johnson & Johnson are turning to big tech partners as they embrace the ‘digital revolution.’ Case in point, Johnson & Johnson is collaborating with Microsoft to expand its digital surgical ecosystem. As part of the strategic partnership, Microsoft will serve as J&J's preferred cloud provider for digital surgery solutions. Microsoft also will help J&J build out its digital surgery platform and internet of things (IoT) device connectivity.

And in case you missed our last Medtech in a Minute report...

Abbott CEO Drops Big News at CES

During his historic keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week, Abbott CEO Robert Ford unveiled a new product category that the company is developing: biowearables dubbed Lingo. Similar to the company's FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring device for diabetes management, the Lingo products will enable consumers to track key biomarkers in the body such as glucose, ketones, lactate, and alcohol levels.

Stryker to Pony up $3.09B for Vocera

Stryker has agreed to buy Vocera Communications for $3.09 billion, the company's largest deal since the Wright Medical acquisition. Vocera has a portfolio comprised of multiple products including clinical communication, secure text messaging, alarms & notifications, patient experience, and analytics tools. Stryker says the acquisition will be a "step change" that will propel the company to the "next level" in its focus on digital technology.

Sensonics Looks for FDA Decision in the Coming Weeks

One of the 10 most anticipated new medical devices of 2021was the next generation Eversense 180-day continuous glucose monitoring system from Senseonics. Unfortunately, COVID-related backlogs at FDA delayed the potential approval, but the company says a decision is now expected in the coming weeks.