Late last summer, Orthovita took a tremendous hit in its stock price when two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that vertebroplasty procedures offered patients no clinical benefit. Having withstood this attack, "La Vita" is poised to hold its long-term potential. Obviously, the criticism rattled the analysts and "La Vita's stock price fell from an all time high of $6.91 back to the mid $3 range. The hypnotized never lie. But what do you expect from the analysts, considering that they are fair weather forecasters. You know what they say, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Could these articles have been strategically published to take the winds out of "La Vita's" sails?
As this product starts to pick up its momentum, watch as the analysts upgrade this stock as a "buy." Hopefully, the boyz from Malvern will not squander this opportunity and sit on their laurels, nows the time to turn up the volume. TSB wants to know what our readers think?
"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around, pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday, then I'll get on my knees and pray, We don't get fooled again
Assuming that Cortoss will pick up momentum is a big leap. Seems to me that it's pretty expensive ($2000/level?) for a vertebroplasty system that addressses a need that doesn't exist. Do physicians feel the need for a ceramic bone scaffold in a 75yo osteoporotic patient? With no increased reimbursement? After all, this is principally a pain procedure and the exisiting products are addressing that quite well. My hunch is that Cortoss will probably be an also-ran along with Confidence, DFine, Osseon, Staxx...
ReplyDeleteThe real play to watch in this increasingly crowded market seems to be CareFusion, who is introducing a balloon to compete directly with Medtronic's kyphoplasty on an even reimbursement playing field. Looks like CareFusion is making a pure price play and that it's going to be fought out in the OR's and IR suites. Medtronic's direct reps probably have the edge there, based on numbers alone. And MDT's lawyers surely try to sue CareFusion into submission over IP.
CareFusion/Cardinal reps will likely post good initial numbers converting their existing business up to their balloon system, though. We'll see how/if their IR customers react & adopt.
Education, Education, Education.
ReplyDeleteMM, amen! If every physician followed the rationale of anonymous 1, we would not even be injecting anything, but give the patients an opium pipe and a comfortable brace made by the local cooper. Thank God there are enough people out there that do want to be educated and that do want to continue to improve the science and art of medicine.
ReplyDeleteA2
I am very open to be educated on the matter. What do you see as are the benefits to using Cortoss in the VB over the current technologies, which are easy to use, affordable, and deliver the desired patient benefits?
ReplyDeleteI have yet to talk to a surgeon who has tried it or is more than casually interested. Hospital committees are denying access left and right. The surgery center can't afford it. Who is going to take up the fight for this technology, and why?