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Anika Therapeutics recently marked the full launch of its RevoMotion Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty System, a differentiated product in an estimated $1 billion market. We spoke with Anika President and CEO Cheryl Blanchard, Ph.D. about the RevoMotion launch, the role of ASCs in the shoulder market and her expectations for robotics in shoulder surgery. Our conversation is excerpted below, edited for length and clarity.
When we last spoke at AAOS, RevoMotion was in limited release. How have things gone since then?
Cheryl Blanchard: Yes, the RevoMotion was in early limited release the last time we spoke. At that time, we had a VIP room in our AAOS booth, where we unveiled the system to select surgeons. At that point, we were still beginning to get the instrument and implant sets into the field and understand clinical feedback. We’ve come a long way since then.
It has honestly been a home run. We’ve done well over a hundred cases now, and we have had one hundred percent positive feedback from clinicians on the implants, the design and the surgical technique. The x-rays are beautiful. Patients are now far enough into their recovery that they’re coming back asking for the same thing on their other shoulder, which is always a good sign.
What’s unique about RevoMotion in the reverse shoulder market?
Cheryl Blanchard: Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty is a crowded space, but it’s 80% of the shoulder arthroplasty market. Even with our OVOMotion with Inlay Glenoid TSA, which is a great product, it is difficult to have a franchise in that space unless you include a reverse option.
We believe we have something special to offer patients and clinicians with our legacy Arthrosurface design philosophy being bone-sparing, motion preserving and thoughtful about the fixation. We deployed all of those design philosophies with this system.
We continue to tout the smallest threaded glenoid baseplate on the market, which may just sound like a marketing statement, but I have to tell you, the surgeons love it. It gives them so much optionality regarding where they place it in the glenoid. They’re realizing, in many cases, that they don’t need a big revision system because they have that optionality.
The mid-lay humeral design that’s anatomic and bone preserving is a big deal, as is the fact that it’s a two-tray instrument set system. Surgeons can use it in the hospital with greater efficiency, or they can take it into the ASC, and it works for them in that setting.
What role does the ASC play in the total shoulder replacement market?
Cheryl Blanchard: That is a great question and especially relevant, considering CMS just announced their plans to reimburse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty procedures, including Reverse Shoulder Replacements, in the ASC beginning in 2024. Surgeons across the country have long been lobbying for this approval to happen. We are incredibly excited to see this new policy put into practice and to see the many positive effects it will bring to Anika’s ASC Strategy. Currently, the hospital setting is the largest part of the total shoulder and reverse shoulder patient population, but with the updated CMS policy, I expect to see those procedures transitioning from the hospital setting into the ASC setting, which not only benefits the surgeons but more importantly, the patients. It gives surgeons the latitude to take the patient to the best facility that fits their needs and to provide the best care possible.
Patients don’t like to go to the hospital. Orthopedic patients think, I’m not sick; I just need to get something fixed. It’s better for the healthcare ecosystem for them to be operated on in the ASC. The cost burden is much lower for all involved.
We’re about to see robotics enter the shoulder replacement market. How do you think that will impact the space?
Cheryl Blanchard: I think having a preoperative planning tool will remain important. Without that, a large portion of the surgeon population is uncomfortable not having access to preoperative planning in their ORs. We know the importance of preoperative planning from the surgeon’s perspective, and thus, Anika’s preoperative planning tool, AIM, will soon enter a limited market release.
In terms of robotics, Anika has not entered that space, but from what I’m hearing, the initial versions that will be released from other companies are taking a lot longer, and they’re not adding a lot of benefits. I don’t think there will be a significant adoption of it for some time in the shoulder. I was in that space some years ago, and I was one of the people who kept pushing for the need to demonstrate some clinical benefit. Some ability to place the implants better, faster surgery or less blood loss. I still think that level of data would be productive to provide.
Anika Therapeutics recently marked the full launch of its RevoMotion Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty System, a differentiated product in an estimated $1 billion market. We spoke with Anika President and CEO Cheryl Blanchard, Ph.D. about the RevoMotion launch, the role of ASCs in the shoulder market and her expectations for robotics in shoulder...
Anika Therapeutics recently marked the full launch of its RevoMotion Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty System, a differentiated product in an estimated $1 billion market. We spoke with Anika President and CEO Cheryl Blanchard, Ph.D. about the RevoMotion launch, the role of ASCs in the shoulder market and her expectations for robotics in shoulder surgery. Our conversation is excerpted below, edited for length and clarity.
When we last spoke at AAOS, RevoMotion was in limited release. How have things gone since then?
Cheryl Blanchard: Yes, the RevoMotion was in early limited release the last time we spoke. At that time, we had a VIP room in our AAOS booth, where we unveiled the system to select surgeons. At that point, we were still beginning to get the instrument and implant sets into the field and understand clinical feedback. We’ve come a long way since then.
It has honestly been a home run. We’ve done well over a hundred cases now, and we have had one hundred percent positive feedback from clinicians on the implants, the design and the surgical technique. The x-rays are beautiful. Patients are now far enough into their recovery that they’re coming back asking for the same thing on their other shoulder, which is always a good sign.
What’s unique about RevoMotion in the reverse shoulder market?
Cheryl Blanchard: Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty is a crowded space, but it’s 80% of the shoulder arthroplasty market. Even with our OVOMotion with Inlay Glenoid TSA, which is a great product, it is difficult to have a franchise in that space unless you include a reverse option.
We believe we have something special to offer patients and clinicians with our legacy Arthrosurface design philosophy being bone-sparing, motion preserving and thoughtful about the fixation. We deployed all of those design philosophies with this system.
We continue to tout the smallest threaded glenoid baseplate on the market, which may just sound like a marketing statement, but I have to tell you, the surgeons love it. It gives them so much optionality regarding where they place it in the glenoid. They’re realizing, in many cases, that they don’t need a big revision system because they have that optionality.
The mid-lay humeral design that’s anatomic and bone preserving is a big deal, as is the fact that it’s a two-tray instrument set system. Surgeons can use it in the hospital with greater efficiency, or they can take it into the ASC, and it works for them in that setting.
What role does the ASC play in the total shoulder replacement market?
Cheryl Blanchard: That is a great question and especially relevant, considering CMS just announced their plans to reimburse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty procedures, including Reverse Shoulder Replacements, in the ASC beginning in 2024. Surgeons across the country have long been lobbying for this approval to happen. We are incredibly excited to see this new policy put into practice and to see the many positive effects it will bring to Anika’s ASC Strategy. Currently, the hospital setting is the largest part of the total shoulder and reverse shoulder patient population, but with the updated CMS policy, I expect to see those procedures transitioning from the hospital setting into the ASC setting, which not only benefits the surgeons but more importantly, the patients. It gives surgeons the latitude to take the patient to the best facility that fits their needs and to provide the best care possible.
Patients don’t like to go to the hospital. Orthopedic patients think, I’m not sick; I just need to get something fixed. It’s better for the healthcare ecosystem for them to be operated on in the ASC. The cost burden is much lower for all involved.
We’re about to see robotics enter the shoulder replacement market. How do you think that will impact the space?
Cheryl Blanchard: I think having a preoperative planning tool will remain important. Without that, a large portion of the surgeon population is uncomfortable not having access to preoperative planning in their ORs. We know the importance of preoperative planning from the surgeon’s perspective, and thus, Anika’s preoperative planning tool, AIM, will soon enter a limited market release.
In terms of robotics, Anika has not entered that space, but from what I’m hearing, the initial versions that will be released from other companies are taking a lot longer, and they’re not adding a lot of benefits. I don’t think there will be a significant adoption of it for some time in the shoulder. I was in that space some years ago, and I was one of the people who kept pushing for the need to demonstrate some clinical benefit. Some ability to place the implants better, faster surgery or less blood loss. I still think that level of data would be productive to provide.
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Mike Evers is a Senior Market Analyst and writer with over 15 years of experience in the medical industry, spanning cardiac rhythm management, ER coding and billing, and orthopedics. He joined ORTHOWORLD in 2018, where he provides market analysis and editorial coverage.
