Though not as big a market as total hip and knee replacements, shoulder arthroplasties represent a growing orthopedic segment—and one that Johnson & Johnson hopes to target with a new joint offering aimed at streamlining the procedure in outpatient facilities and ambulatory surgical centers.
Launched by its DePuy Synthes division, the Inhance shoulder system includes both stemless and stemmed implants and allows the surgeon to easily transition from the former to the latter during the procedure if needed—for example, if they discover degraded bone quality or a weaker rotator cuff and want to swap to a more stable option.
The fully integrated system is designed to tackle a broad range of cases—while keeping a variety of implant sizes organized in two reusable instrument cases—to help downsize the amount of equipment that needs to be processed and stored outside hospital settings, according to the company.
That design seeks to capitalize on the ongoing shift in orthopedic procedures from larger hospitals to outpatient locations and surgical centers, which has placed a premium on operational efficiency and the ability to see a high volume of cases.
In further support of that goal, the Inhance system also looks to cut down on procedure times by using a concentric drilling bit that creates central and peripheral holes in the shoulder bone with one, less-invasive surgical step that is compatible with any size implant. Additionally, the 3D-printed replacement joints are made with a porous structure to help promote bone ingrowth and fixation.
DePuy Synthes acquired Inhance through a multiyear agreement with Warsaw, Indiana-based Ignite Orthopedics. The J&J division said it plans to launch the core system as well as additional related offerings in the future.
The system will compete against shoulder replacement offerings from Zimmer Biomet and Stryker, whose upper extremities business last month gained a de novo clearance from the FDA for a balloon implant to treat torn rotator cuffs.
Initially developed by OrthoSpace, Stryker acquired the biodegradable InSpace implant when it bought the company for $220 million in 2019. The device, which aims to replace the joint’s fluid-filled bursa cushion, received the agency’s green light about a decade after it was cleared in Europe.
On a July call with investors to report the company’s second-quarter earnings, Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo described the upper extremities market, including shoulder arthroplasties, as a strong performer. The unit posted double-digit growth, while the company’s orthopedics division as a whole reported an 82% increase in sales compared to the same quarter in 2020, which was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic’s lockdowns and postponed surgeries.
J&J’s medtech companies also saw a strong rebound—device head Ashley McEvoy described it as the “light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel”—with sales up 57.2% versus 2020 and up about 7% compared to 2019’s second quarter.