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Zimmer Biomet's (ZBH) Data Favors mymobility with Apple Watch

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Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (ZBH - Free Report) recently announced four data presentations at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2021 Annual Meeting on the clinical value of the company’s first-of-a-kind remote care management platform, mymobility with Apple Watch. This platform is designed to help healthcare professionals remotely support and guide patients as they prepare for and recover from orthopedic procedures. The mymobility with Apple Watch is part of ZBEdge, Zimmer Biomet's suite of connected digital and robotic technologies.

Per management, the four trial outcomes utilizing interim data from the ongoing mymobility Clinical Study suggest that mymobility with Apple Watch may be a viable option to enable healthcare professionals monitor a patient’s progress post surgery and remotely manage rehabilitation regimens to optimize recovery.

Few Words on mymobility

The mymobility with Apple Watch leverages the powerful sensors on Apple Watch and iPhone to measure a patient's activity and post-operative progress. This platform also enables virtual connections between patients and healthcare professionals throughout the surgical episode to lower the overall cost of care. The pre- and post-operative data collected by mymobility with Apple Watch is combined with intraoperative data from patients who undergo joint replacement with Zimmer Biomet’s ROSA Robotics. This data is consolidated and analyzed by OrthoIntel Orthopedic Intelligence Platform to gain new clinical insights.

Study Findings

The data on “A Smartwatch Paired Mobile Application Provides Postoperative Self-Directed Rehabilitation Without Compromising Patient Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial” demonstrated that total knee replacement surgery patients utilizing a remote care model with mymobility and an Apple Watch were able to achieve similar clinical outcomes compared to patients who received the traditional standard of care, regardless of their level of exercise compliance.

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The findings from “Use of a Smartphone-Based Care Platform after Primary Joint Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Trial” demonstrated that mymobility patients utilized less of the studied healthcare resources compared to the patients receiving standard of care post surgery, which is hypothesized to potentially aid in lowering postoperative costs.

The analysis of interim data from “The Recovery Curve for Physical Activity following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using Average Daily Step Counts Measured with a Smartphone Based Case Platform and Smart Watch” study suggests that passively collected physical activity data using mymobility with Apple Watch may be as useful as patient reported outcome measures to set goals and monitor recovery after total hip replacement surgery.

The study on “The Relationship of Common Patient Reported Outcomes and Passively Collected Outcome Measures in the Adult Reconstruction Arena” demonstrated associations between passively collected data on step and stair counts and patient reported data on metrics such as pain and walking. This outcome supports the value of incorporating smart remote monitoring technology into the traditional rehabilitation pathways for hip or knee surgery.

Industry Prospects

Per a report published in GlobeNewswire, the global remote healthcare market is expected to see a CAGR of more than 33% during 2019-2025. Factors such as growing integration of telecommunications with medical services, increased spending on healthcare information technology (IT) collaborations by major stakeholders, rising incidence of several chronic conditions worldwide and the outbreak of COVID-19 are driving the market.

Given the substantial market prospects, the recent data presentations backing Zimmer Biomet's mymobility with Apple Watch seems strategic.

Notable Developments

Zimmer Biomet engaged in a number of developments in August 2021.

The company announced the receipt of FDA De Novo classification grant and authorization to market the tibial extension for Persona IQ. The Persona IQ is the world's first and only smart knee authorized by the FDA for total knee replacement surgery.

The company received FDA 510(k) clearance of the ROSA Hip System for robotically-assisted direct anterior total hip replacement. The ROSA Hip is the latest addition to Zimmer Biomet’s comprehensive ROSA Robotics portfolio. It also complements the company’s ZBEdge Connected Intelligence Suite.

Share Price Performance

The stock has underperformed its industry over the past year. It has grown 7.1% compared with the industry’s 10.8% growth.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Currently, Zimmer Biomet carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Better-ranked stocks from the Medical-Products industry include VAREX IMAGING (VREX - Free Report) , Envista Holdings Corporation (NVST - Free Report) and BellRing Brands, Inc. (BRBR - Free Report) .

VAREX, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), has a long-term earnings growth rate of 5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Envista Holdings, with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has a long-term earnings growth rate of 27.4%.

BellRing Brands, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 29.1%.

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