Many ankle replacement implant manufacturers in the United States are looking to increase their share of this growing market. Ankle replacement is one of the fastest-growing segments in the foot and ankle devices manufacturing industry, showing growth rates close to 10%.
Under this scenario, there has been a lot of activity in the industry, including the highlights below:
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Stryker acquires Wright Medical, including Wright Medical’s total ankle replacement portfolio
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Stryker is forced to divest its existing total ankle replacement portfolio (the STAR® Total Ankle Arthroplasty System) due to anti-competition concerns as having both portfolios would have given Stryker too much market share
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DT MedTech launches Hintermann Series H3 in the U.S. – one of the only mobile bearing systems available
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Vilex acquires DT MedTech
As mentioned above, Stryker was required to divest some of its portfolio to limit its market control in the total ankle replacement treatments. Despite this divestment, the recent juggling of products lines is still expected to have a massive impact on the total market.
Now able to leverage a wider and deeper distribution network, Wright Medical’s former ankle replacement portfolio is expected to increase total market share marginally, in the short-term.
With broader consolidation across a few key competitors, the total ankle replacement market does move a few steps closer towards an oligopoly. However, there is no direct expectation that the market would expect price increases as a result.
The foot and ankle market, while sizable on its own, provides a unique opportunity for companies to increase their penetration within facilities. Broadening Styker’s physician reach, through reducing the prices on primary implants, allows the group to tactically cross-sell through their portfolio. Leveraging Stryker’s expansive distribution network, Wright Medical’s implants can be sold at lower prices, while preserving sizable margins. Similar techniques have been used in recent history, specifically within the outpatient settings, by many leading competitors.
The massive brand change-up across this market can also spell some opportunities for physician transition. With new suppliers handling the previous-preferred implants, relations between sales reps and physicians could prove to be one of the biggest influencers in how broadly product transition will ultimately occur.
TOP ANKLE REPLACEMENT IMPLANTS IN THE U.S.
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Wright Medical (Stryker) – INBONE™ Total Ankle System
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Wright Medical (Stryker) – INFINITY™ Total Ankle System
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DJO – Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement (STAR™ Ankle)
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Exactech – Vantage Total Ankle
Wright Medical (Stryker)
In late 2020, Stryker announced that it completed the acquisition of Wright Medical Group. Wright Medical has been, for recent years, the share leader in the foot and ankle device market. The company offers products in every segment of the foot and ankle market and is the only company with a notable presence in each market segment. Wright Medical (Stryker) was strongest in the primary ankle replacement market, also holding a meaningful position in the ankle fusion, forefoot & midfoot, hindfoot, foot digit implant and hammertoe device markets.
Wright Medical (Stryker) products hold over half of the primary ankle replacement market segment with their INBONE® II primary ankle replacement implant, which is compatible with their Prophecy™ preoperative navigation system. The company has also introduced the INVISION™ total ankle revision system, which is a conjunction of their INBONE® II and INFINITY® products.
DJO
DJO is a subsidiary of the Colfax Corporation, specialized in the development and distribution of medical devices for musculoskeletal health, joint reconstruction, vascular health, and pain management. In late 2020, DJO acquired the total ankle and finger arthroplasty product lines from Stryker. This acquisition included the STAR™ ankle system, which was among the most used ankle replacement systems in the U.S. market.
Exactech
Exactech is a global medical company specialized in orthopedics with a broad product portfolio for hip, knee and shoulder replacement, spine surgery, biologic materials and bone cement systems. The company operates in the United States and its products are available in more than thirty countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Vantage® total ankle system has been closely following the STAR™ ankle system in numbers of units sold in the U.S. for the past year.
CONCLUSION
The number of ankle replacement surgeries in the U.S. shows a steady growth of around 7% based on our latest market research. With the covid pandemic, many elective surgeries had to be cancelled or postponed. This delay in procedures should prompt an influx of postponed surgeries once the pandemic is over, driving the market to increased levels.
Despite the small number of competitors, iData Research did a detailed analysis on more than 410 different products looking for insights on prices, units sold and market shares. The results of this analysis are available through our exclusive MedSKU solution.
The MedSKU solution allowed us to: quantify the impact from recent M&A activity, understand the market response to new product launches and find out the most popular product configurations (components, sizes, sides, etc).
Click here to find out more about MedSKU
If you would like an in-depth overview of the key factors and pressures affecting the global foot and ankle implant market, feel free to download our complimentary report sample. It will help you gain insights into the industry’s competitive landscape with projected industry growth until 2025.
