 |
| Radlink's Galileo Positioning System--Courtesy of Radlink |
Johnson & Johnson's ($JNJ) DePuy Synthes unit struck a deal with medical imaging outfit Radlink to pair the company's real-time imaging technology with its hip replacement products, increasing its orthopedics clout as it looks to chart growth in the field.
Under the agreement, DePuy will have exclusive rights to market the Radlink Galileo Positioning System (GPS) with its hip replacement systems, the company said in a statement. Radlink's GPS includes navigation services and real-time imaging that displays in four seconds, helping physicians tackle challenges associated with hip replacement procedures such as component positioning, sizing, leg length and offset restoration.
The deal follows on the heels of another orthopedics agreement for DePuy, as last fall the company said it would join forces with Plymouth, MN-based Blue Belt Technologies to use Blue Belt's Navio Surgical System alongside its Sigma knee replacement. The Navio system includes navigation software and a hand-held, robotic-assisted bone shaping tool that allows for more precise implantation and soft tissue balancing.
"The GPS and Navio technologies are significant innovations that will help physicians deliver care as effectively and efficiently as possible," Max Reinhardt, franchise unit leader at DePuy, said in a statement. "We have chosen what we believe are among the best technologies in the marketplace that, when complemented by DePuy Synthes Companies' products, will provide a total solution and therefore maximize patient care."
New sales agreements also help J&J beef up numbers for one of its poorest-performing units. Last year, the company's medical devices business lagged behind its pharma and consumer units. But DePuy posted 3% operation growth over the prior-year led by its trauma, hips and knee businesses. "We've begun to realize the benefits of the scale and breadth of the combined businesses which have contributed to the strategic wins in key markets," J&J CEO Alex Gorsky said during a January earnings call.
The company has not wasted any time diversifying its orthopedics portfolio in 2015. In February, J&J snatched up Olive Medical to get its hands on the company's imaging technology for minimally invasive arthroscopic surgeries. Olive's visualization system can be used in patients with shoulder, knee, hip and small joint pain or injury and will augment DePuy's Mitek Sports Medicine arthroscopy line.
Meanwhile, J&J faces competition from other devicemakers that are eager to cash in on the market. Last year, orthopedic giant Smith & Nephew ($SNN) inked a major distribution deal with Blue Belt to market the company's Navio surgical knee system. The move was meant to recharge S&N's flagging knee implant revenue and build on its current offerings for knee replacement procedures.
- read the release