Amazon Primed to Disrupt Telehealth

Amason plans to offer telehealth services through its Amazon Care component. Amazon Care was initially launched in 2019 as a pilot program. It has since expanded and plans now call for in-person services to be rolled out in more than 20 new cities this year. The company said Amazon Care provides immediate access to a wide range of urgent and primary care services, including COVID-19 and flu testing, vaccinations, treatment of illnesses and injuries, preventive care, sexual health, and prescription requests and refills. When issues can’t be resolved over video, Amazon Care will dispatch a nurse practitioner to a patient’s home for additional care where in-person care is available, ranging from routine blood draws to listening to a patient’s lungs.

Zimmer Biomet Reveals Spinoff Details

Zimmer Biomet’s dental and spine spinoff, ZimVie, is expected to launch in March and take in about $1 billion in revenue for its first year. Vafa Jamali has already been named president and CEO of ZimVie. As an independent company, ZimVie will be positioned to expand the reach of its solutions and execute on opportunities to drive sustainable growth and long-term shareholder value, Jamali said.

Mary J. Blige Says 'Real Love' Means Prioritizing Annual Screenings

Hologic spent a hefty chunk of its COVID cash on a Super Bowl commercial featuring Mary J. Blige. The "Queen of Hip-Hop-Soul" was featured in a 30-second Super Bowl commercial sponsored by Hologic. The "Her Health is Her Wealth" advertisement highlights how despite her busy life, Mary J. Blige still makes time for her annual well-woman visit.

"I'm a strong believer that a woman's health is her wealth, and I'm proud to participate in this important campaign that puts that message front and center on the world's biggest stage," Mary J. Blige said. "I want women everywhere to know that real love means putting yourself first and prioritizing your annual screenings."

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

Omicron Weakens Boston Scientific's Guidance

Boston Scientific's initial full-year guidance was lower than expected, due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and related headwinds, but the company is hopeful that the second half of the year will be better. Stryker was also impacted by Omicron, but the company’s Mako surgical robotics system was a saving grace during the unpredictable quarter.

Hologic Feels 'Annoying Little Body Blow' from Global Chip Shortage

Supply chain disruptions have become more specific for Hologic in recent weeks, as the global chip shortage is impacting mammography and other imaging systems in the company's breast health division. The chip shortage will temporarily lengthen delivery timelines for mammography systems as the company preserves enough inventory to mantain service continuity for its installed base of mammography systems. Hologic is estimating around $200 million of revenue will be pushed out of fiscal 2022 because of this supply disruption. Still, the fact that Hologic is able to absorb a $200 million revenue impact from the chip shortage without it hurting too much really speaks volumes to how far its come as a company.

"You think about that kind of a hit eight years ago would have been a big deal, even three or four years ago, would have been a very sizable knockdown punch," CEO Stephen MacMillan said. "And now it's kind of an annoying little body blow that we know we'll work right through and set ourselves up to continue to win."

BD Names Diabetes Spinoff

Becton Dickinson and Co. has named its diabetes spinoff Embecta. The company’s board approved the spin-off, which is set to occur April 1. The spinoff was first announced in May of last year.