Following is a list of five key Zimmer Biomet developments that Becker's Spine Review has reported on since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March:
August
Zimmer Biomet reported a net loss of $206.6 million in the second quarter, with significant sales declines in all product categories. Year over year for the second quarter, net sales were down 38.3 percent, to $1.23 billion; global hip sales decreased 31.1 percent, to $329.7 million; sports medicine, extremities and trauma sales fell 29.2 percent, to $252.6 million; and knee sales decreased 46.8 percent, to $374.2 million. Net sales for dental, spine and craniomaxillofacial and thoracic products were down almost 38 percent, to $182.5 million.
June
The company said that it is adding key new features to its mymobility app with Apple Watch for hip and knee replacement patients. The app will use gait metrics in the Apple Watch and iPhone to collect walking speed and double support time when patients walk on flat level surfaces without GPS. Later this year, the company plans to share data from its mymobility clinical study on the impact on patient outcomes and overall costs for joint replacement patients.
May
Significantly affected by the cessation of elective surgeries, Zimmer Biomet posted a first-quarter net loss of $509 million, dropping from a net profit of $246.1 million for the same period last year. First-quarter net sales decreased 9.7 percent, to $1.78 billion year over year. For the same period, Zimmer's knee sales decreased 9.3 percent, to $630 million; hip sales fell 10.3 percent, to $433 million; and sports medicine, extremities and trauma sales dropped 6.5 percent, to $333 million. Dental, spine and craniomaxillofacial and thoracic sales decreased 12.4 percent, to $252 million.
Conformis and Zimmer Biomet agreed to resolve all patent disputes between the companies. Zimmer had filed a complaint alleging patent infringement against Conformis, which denied the allegations and filed counterclaims stating that Zimmer infringed upon Conformis' patents. The companies dismissed all outstanding litigation and agreed to cross-license their technologies. In exchange for $9.6 million, Conformis awarded Zimmer "a royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide license to certain patents" for knee, shoulder and hip replacement instruments.
April
Potentially elevated endotoxin levels led Zimmer Biomet to issue a recall in Europe of certain polyethylene orthopedic implants for knees, hips and extremities. During a routine bacterial endotoxin testing of polyethylene implants, three samples were found to exceed accepted standards for endotoxin levels during a six-week period.