From spinning off its spine and dental units to the launch of its robot for partial knee replacements, here are eight key developments from devicemaker Zimmer Biomet this year:
1. Zimmer Biomet's knee and hip sales dipped in the third quarter, and the company's spine and dental business saw revenue decrease 5.8 percent year over year to $238.6 million.
2. In September, Zimmer Biomet named its planned spine and dental spinoff ZimVie. The split will create two independent companies: Zimmer Biomet, focused on orthopedics, and ZimVie, focused on spine and dental. Zimmer Biomet decided to spin off the dental and spine lines together because they include similar implant materials and scalability prospects. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2022.
3. Former Medtronic executive Vafa Jamali was appointed to lead ZimVie. Mr. Jamali has more than 25 years of experience in the medtech industry, including serving as senior vice president and president of respiratory, gastrointestinal and informatics at Medtronic. Most recently, he was chief commercial officer and led strategic planning for Rockley Photonics, an integrated optics solutions provider.
4. Zimmer Biomet recalled its Rosa One 3.1 brain application in September because of a software error that could lead to the misplacement of instruments during neurosurgical procedures. Corrective updates to the system are expected to be ready for installation by February, with all updates completed by May. The FDA said 119 devices have been recalled in the U.S.
5. ZimVie teamed with PrecisionOS to leverage its virtual reality training software to allow surgeons to practice scoliosis surgery in teenagers. The technology lets surgeons practice vertebral body tethering, a minimally invasive alternative to posterior spinal fusion that significantly reduces the challenges of an open surgery, according to the company.
6. Rosa Knee won the Orthopedic Product Innovation of the Year at the 2021 Healthcare Asia Medtech Awards in May. The robot is intended to provide greater precision in total knee replacements. It comprises 3D preoperative planning tools and intraoperative data on soft tissue and bone anatomy to improve bone cut accuracy and range of motion gap analysis.
7. The FDA approved Zimmer Biomet's Rosa partial knee system for robotic-assisted partial knee replacements in April. The system is the latest addition to Rosa Robotics, which includes the Rosa knee system for total knee replacement and Rosa One for spine and neurosurgical procedures. Zimmer Biomet said it has more than 50 percent of the global partial knee market share.
8. In March, Zimmer Biomet introduced the ZBEdge Connected Intelligence Suite for its digital and robotic technologies. ZBEdge offers a suite of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative technologies that use data from devices to inform surgeons' care, including the Rosa platform, anatomical visualization and guidance systems and remote care management systems.