Health Care Equipment & Supplies

Edwards Lifesciences outlined a structural heart growth plan that targets more than US$2 billion in transcatheter mitral and tricuspid revenue by 2030, anchored by its PASCAL, EVOQUE, and Sapien M3 technologies. The plan sits alongside updated Medicare coverage that could enable 100 to 200 additional U.S. centers to perform TAVR procedures, reinforcing the company's transcatheter ecosystem. Edwards' broader narrative projects $8.5 billion in revenue and $2.2 billion in earnings by 2029, requiring 9.3% yearly revenue growth and an earnings increase of about $1.2 billion from $979.9 million today. Three fair value estimates from the Simply Wall St Community cluster between US$91.47 and US$100.96 per share, against a $100.96 fair value that implies 14% upside to the current price. The company still faces risks around margins, tariffs, and competitive pressure in international markets.

Activist investor Jana Partners has sent a letter to Cooper Companies urging the contact lens maker to pursue a sale and change its leadership, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Jana said Cooper requires an urgent overhaul to address what it called chronic underperformance and its inability to manage inventory and capital spending. The hedge fund called on the company to replace CEO Albert White, appoint a new board chair, engage with potential buyers of the contact lens business, and consider selling its fertility and medical device assets. Jana began building its stake in Cooper roughly a year ago and previously suggested the company consider strategic alternatives, including a potential combination with rival Bausch + Lomb. Cooper shares climbed 1.7% post-market Thursday on the report; they have slumped 34% year to date, and the company reduced its full-year outlook earlier this month after lowering its contact lens inventory as part of a strategic review.

Abbott's board of directors declared a quarterly common dividend of 63 cents per share, marking the 411th consecutive quarterly dividend the company has paid since 1924. The cash dividend is payable Nov. 16, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 15, 2026. Abbott has increased its dividend payout for 54 consecutive years and is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have raised dividends annually for at least 25 consecutive years. The company, based in Abbott Park, Illinois, describes itself as a global healthcare leader with 122,000 colleagues serving people in more than 160 countries.

Medtronic raised the lower end of its fiscal 2027 profit forecast and lifted its revenue growth outlook, citing strong demand for heart devices used in complex cardiovascular procedures. The Ireland-based company raised the lower end of its adjusted per-share profit forecast to $5.94 from $5.90 while keeping the upper end at $6.00, against an analyst average of $5.95, and now expects annual organic revenue growth of 7.25% to 7.75%, up from 6.75% to 7.25% previously. First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenue reached $9.756 billion, up 13.7% both reported and organically, beating the $9.55 billion analyst consensus, with adjusted earnings per share of $1.45 topping the $1.39 estimate. Growth was broad-based across segments, with Cardiovascular revenue up 19.5%, Diabetes up 16.9%, Neuroscience up 10.3%, and Medical Surgical up 10.0%, though Medtronic said about $570 million of the quarter's growth came from an extra week in the reporting period. The guidance still includes the diabetes business, which Medtronic has said it may fully separate before fiscal year-end, though CFO Thierry Pieton said the company is not under pressure to rush that timeline.

Bank of America upgraded Haemonetics to Buy from Neutral on Thursday, citing a recent supply deal the blood management solutions provider signed with Australian biopharma company CSL Limited. The non-exclusive deal follows CSL's decision to terminate its plasma supply agreement with Haemonetics in 2021 and carries no minimum purchase requirements, BofA analyst Joanne Wuensch wrote. Wuensch said that in a healthy plasma market, the return of the CSL contract in the US market should provide upside to organic revenue growth, operating margins, and EPS over the next several years, and she raised her price target on Haemonetics to $123 from $92 per share. Haemonetics, based in Boston, Massachusetts, disclosed the deal last month and said it will report the financial impact on fiscal 2027 results alongside its fiscal second-quarter earnings, scheduled for November.

Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center has become the first hospital in the United States to install the Philips Rembra CT system for acute and high-demand imaging environments, Royal Philips and the McComb, Mississippi hospital announced. The FDA 510(k)-cleared system is now in use in SMRMC's emergency and general radiology departments, where it is designed to accelerate scanning and image reconstruction and help clinicians manage high patient volumes. Philips said the Rembra CT can support up to 270 patient exams per day in throughput testing and features the largest-in-class 85 cm bore. Brent Albritton, Director of Radiology at SMRMC, said the team is already seeing faster system initialization, more efficient image selection, helpful 3D tools and easier patient positioning. SMRMC, the hub of Southwest Health, also sees an opportunity to develop cardiac CT angiography and virtual colonoscopy as its clinical programs and staffing grow.

Aethlon Medical has agreed to an all-stock merger with North Immunology, sending its shares up 346% in premarket trading on Thursday. The transaction, approved by both boards, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027. The merger and a concurrent private placement are expected to provide approximately $180M in gross proceeds and to position the combined company to advance development of NOR-101, a half-life extended IL-13 x IL-18 bispecific antibody being developed for atopic dermatitis and other immune-mediated diseases. Under the merger agreement, pre-merger Aethlon stockholders are expected to own about 4.75% of the combined company, while pre-merger North Immunology stockholders are expected to own about 95.25%, giving the combined company a pro forma equity value of roughly $346.5m inclusive of the private placement. Upon completion, the combined entity will operate as North Immunology, Inc. and trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the new ticker symbol NRTX.

IDEXX Laboratories announced the expansion of its Faecal Dx antigen testing platform in the United Kingdom to include taeniid tapeworm, covering Taenia and Echinococcus species. The company said the test is proven to detect up to twice as many intestinal parasite infections earlier than faecal flotation alone, delivering broader parasite detection in a single test for both wellness and sick-pet care. Since launching in 2012, more than 50 million Faecal Dx antigen tests have been run worldwide, and with this addition the platform now detects seven of the most clinically relevant intestinal parasite groups, including hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, flea tapeworm, taeniid tapeworms, Cystoisospora and Giardia in select panels. Taenia and Echinococcus species are recognized by the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites as clinically important, and ESCCAP identifies Echinococcus species as one of the three key parasite groups requiring preventive control in dogs and cats due to its zoonotic risk. Current Faecal Dx antigen testing panels and profiles for IDEXX Reference Laboratories customers in the United Kingdom now include taeniid tapeworm detection at no additional cost, and results returning positive for taeniid tapeworms will automatically initiate a complimentary follow-up Echinococcus RealPCR test.

Intuitive Surgical announced that its da Vinci SP surgical system received CE mark approval in Europe for transvaginal gynecologic procedures, the platform's first such indication globally. The authorization expands the SP system's approved applications in women's health and extends its natural orifice surgery portfolio beyond transoral and transanal procedures, supporting the company's strategy of growing the platform through new indications rather than relying solely on new system placements. The approval could help increase utilization of the existing da Vinci SP installed base across Europe, a key driver of recurring revenue through instruments, accessories and service revenue. During its second-quarter 2026 earnings call, management highlighted that SP procedures surged 61% year over year, driven by expanded indications, new instrumentation and broader adoption, while the company placed 38 SP systems in the quarter, up from 23 a year ago, taking the global installed base to 445 systems. Intuitive Surgical also noted that more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications support the safety and efficacy of the da Vinci SP platform.

AT&T Inc. has partnered with LifeMD, Inc. to give its eligible wireless and fiber customers complimentary access to virtual care and pharmacy services. Under the agreement, more than 100 million eligible AT&T customers will receive a LifeMD membership worth $228 annually, with the regular $19 monthly fee waived. The benefit is offered through AT&T's &More program, and customers must enroll to activate the complimentary membership, paying only for the visits, prescriptions, or other services they use. The rollout will initially cover about 29 million AT&T customers in 11 states and is expected to expand nationwide in January 2027. The initiative supports AT&T's efforts to broaden customer benefits and strengthen engagement as demand for telemedicine grows, amid competition from Verizon Communications, Inc. and T-Mobile US, Inc., which are advancing their own AI-powered and 5G healthcare offerings.

Stryker announced at the 2026 American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting in Seattle that it is launching Prophecy Surgical Planning for the Incompass Total Ankle System and introducing Hoffmann LRF smartHEX. Prophecy Surgical Planning, which has supported patient-specific planning for more than 100,000 ankle cases over 14 years, is now available with the Incompass Total Ankle System, giving surgeons access to 3D visualization and both resect-through and pin-through fixation options within a single connected platform. The Incompass Total Ankle System was created using insights generated through Prophecy and SOMA, Stryker Orthopaedic Modeling and Analytics, incorporating real-world anatomy and surgical planning into the implant design. Hoffmann LRF smartHEX expands Stryker's limb reconstruction portfolio with new rings, struts and frame components along with a mobile app and reimagined planning software designed to enhance frame versatility and support connected care. Adam Jacobs, vice president and general manager of Stryker's Foot & Ankle business, said bringing Prophecy to Incompass combines patient-specific planning with the company's newest total ankle system, helping surgeons make more informed decisions before they enter the operating room. Attendees can experience both technologies and Stryker's full Foot & Ankle portfolio at AOFAS 2026, booth #601.

Milestone Scientific Inc. announced that Sudhir Rao, M.D., Medical Director of Pain and Spine Specialists, and Pain and Spine Specialists have joined the company as a development partner and member of its CompuFlo Advisor Program. Pain and Spine Specialists is a multi-state interventional pain management organization with 22 locations across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. The practice's footprint aligns with two strategically important Medicare Administrative Contractor regions for Milestone: its Maryland and Pennsylvania presence falls within Medicare Jurisdiction L, administered by Novitas Solutions, while its Florida locations fall within Medicare Jurisdiction N, administered by First Coast Service Options. As a development partner, Dr. Rao and his team will provide feedback on clinical workflows, product functionality, physician and staff experience, training, future applications and ongoing product development. Milestone said the relationship is expected to contribute real-world clinical experience and physician engagement as it pursues its longer-term reimbursement strategy, including its journey toward establishing Category I CPT status for objective epidural confirmation.

Co-Diagnostics, Inc. and ReadyGo Diagnostics Ltd. announced a collaboration to evaluate the potential use of ReadyGo's sample-preparation technology with the Co-Dx PCR platform for blood-based molecular testing at the point of need, with an initial focus on decentralized Ebola virus detection and outbreak response. The companies are evaluating two potentially complementary technologies: the Co-Dx PCR platform, a point-of-need PCR technology, and GoCollect by ReadyGo, a field sample-preparation system that prepares blood samples for molecular testing at the point of need. The collaboration builds on Co-Dx's earlier proof-of-concept work testing an Ebola assay using plasma as a sample type, and establishing blood as a compatible sample type would extend the Co-Dx PCR platform beyond the swab-based testing it supports today into bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. The companies have begun feasibility work and Co-Dx has taken delivery of ReadyGo materials and devices to support that evaluation, though there can be no assurance that the evaluation will be successful or result in a commercially available product. In the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization has reported 6,757 confirmed cases and 3,267 deaths as of Sept 7, 2026, for a case fatality rate of approximately 48%, with 61 health zones affected across six provinces, and the WHO has described this as the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Co-Dx will host a live press conference and webcast on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the collaboration.

IDEXX Laboratories has acquired CoVetAI, a provider of AI-native ambient listening and clinical workflow software for veterinary practices. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. CoVet helps veterinary teams automatically capture and organize information across the patient care journey, reducing documentation burden and saving clinicians' time. The company will be integrated into the IDEXX software ecosystem, which will continue to support other ambient scribe solutions and third-party integrations, and CoVet will also continue to integrate with non-IDEXX practice management systems. The deal expands the value of IDEXX's software, diagnostics, and AI offerings by making information more accessible and connected across the practice.

Beta Bionics' estimated fair value has been lifted to about US$21.67 from roughly US$19.80, a revision tied to Wall Street research reassessing the company's pipeline, its expected patch pump entry and the timing of its Type 2 diabetes and fully closed loop indications. Several firms, including Truist, UBS, Leerink and Goldman Sachs, have raised their price targets on the stock, with Truist and UBS pointing to FDA clearance of the Mint patch pump and updated launch timing as key execution milestones as Mint enters the patch pump segment as an alternative to Omnipod. UBS and BofA cited clearer timelines for the Type 2 diabetes and fully closed loop indications, while Truist pointed to survey work suggesting Beta Bionics is gaining share, with iLet screening well for pump naive patients entering the market. Not all research moved in the same direction: Baird and BofA kept Neutral ratings despite higher targets, William Blair initiated at Market Perform and flagged the stock's premium valuation versus Tandem Diabetes, and Ladenburg trimmed its target to US$30.40 from US$32. Behind the fair value change, the model's revenue growth input shifted to about 37.32% from about 35.78%, the net profit margin assumption moved to about 12.58% from about 11.76%, the future P/E assumption adjusted to about 33.33x from about 36.27x, and the discount rate rose to about 7.48% from about 7.38%.

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to a US$385 million settlement tied to its 2022 infant formula recall and the shutdown of its Sturgis plant. The agreement resolves civil claims from families, states, and other plaintiffs who alleged product safety failures and gaps in compliance with federal standards, and it follows investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and multiple states into Abbott's infant formula operations. The settlement, which covers only the civil claims and includes no admission of liability, gives Abbott clearer visibility on its infant nutrition liabilities and removes a high-profile government probe that had been flagged as an ongoing litigation risk. Abbott Laboratories is a large global healthcare manufacturer with a US$178.4b market cap, so issues in its infant formula segment sit alongside a broad mix of medical equipment and other health products. Investors will be watching for concrete follow-through on manufacturing and quality control, especially at Sturgis and Casa Grande, with key signposts in future FDA or USDA plant inspection findings and any new disclosures on remediation spending or compliance milestones in upcoming quarterly filings and earnings calls.

Smith+Nephew announced the pricing of its cash tender offer for up to $250 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 2.032% Senior Notes due 2030, out of $900 million of those notes currently outstanding. The Tender Offer Consideration was set at U.S.$878.90 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount, determined by reference to a Fixed Spread of 55 basis points over a Reference Yield of 4.833% on the 4.375% U.S. Treasury due August 31, 2031, as calculated by the Dealer Manager at 4:00 p.m. New York City time on September 15, 2026. The offer expires at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on September 15, 2026, with results expected on September 16, 2026 and settlement expected on September 18, 2026. If validly tendered notes exceed the Maximum Tender Amount, acceptance will be subject to proration, and all notes not accepted will be returned to tendering holders. The Financing Condition has been satisfied, and Merrill Lynch International is acting as Dealer Manager.

Treace Medical Concepts announced it will highlight multiple new product innovations and present clinical data at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting in Seattle from September 16-19, 2026. The new offerings extend the company's bunion market leadership and accelerate penetration into new foot and ankle market adjacencies, according to CEO, Founder and Chairman John T. Treace. Among the featured technologies are the Lapiplasty Lightning System, the Tailorplasty MIS Tailor's Bunion System for minimally invasive treatment of tailor's bunions estimated to affect approximately 5-10% of the adult population, and the Treace X-ray App for radiographic measurements. New products aimed at the mid and hindfoot markets include SuperBite Fully-Threaded Compression Screws, the HyperPlate XM Dynamic Compression Locking Implant, CartiBlaster Powered Joint Prep instruments, and the VitaFuse Bioactive Glass Graft. Clinical results from the landmark 5-year ALIGN3D Lapiplasty, MTA3D Adductoplasty and SPRINT SpeedPlate studies will be presented during the meeting, with the ALIGN3D podium presentation set for Friday, September 18 at 8:45am PST by Daniel Farber, MD, of Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute.

Intuitive Surgical received the world's first CE mark for transvaginal gynecologic procedures using its da Vinci SP system, expanding the platform's labeled use in Europe to include transvaginal access for gynecologic surgery. The approval positions the company as an early mover in single port, natural orifice gynecologic procedures in the region. The company develops and sells robotic systems designed to give surgeons more precise control during minimally invasive procedures in hospitals across the US and internationally, and the new gynecologic use case fits into its broader focus on technology-enabled operating rooms. The transvaginal CE mark is only one part of the broader Intuitive Surgical story, and the company's bull case rests on broader procedure diversity and regulatory support deepening recurring usage of the da Vinci SP installed base across multiple specialties. Bears note the news does not address concerns about hospital capital budgets, reimbursement pressure, or rising competition that could affect how quickly European centers bring SP-based gynecologic procedures into routine practice. A concrete marker to watch is how many European hospitals are actively performing transvaginal procedures with da Vinci SP by the next couple of reporting cycles, including any disclosed procedure counts or mix data tied to SP in quarterly updates through 2027.

Becton, Dickinson and Company has deployed its next-generation pharmacy automation robot, BD Vmax 160, at Fairview Health Services, marking the first U.S. health system to adopt the system. Fairview, which fills an average of 20,000 prescriptions per week across 25 outpatient pharmacies and mail-order services in Minnesota, is building on an existing collaboration with BD that includes the BD Parata Max 2 high-speed vial filling robot and the BD Incada Connected Care Platform. The Vmax 160 is designed for centralized fulfillment environments, featuring the BD EasyLoad system for overnight inventory replenishment with a reported three-second loading time per tote and 99.8% accuracy, automated labeling that supports requirements across all 50 states, cold-chain support for medications stored between 2°C and 8°C, and smart expiry detection that blocks expired products from being dispensed. Following the announcement, BDX stock gained 2.8% at yesterday's close, though shares have lost 5.8% year to date against the industry's 5% growth, with the S&P 500 up 11.1% over the same period. BDX currently has a market capitalization of $49 billion. Separately, BD said the STANCE trial of GalaFLEX LITE Scaffold surpassed 50% of its maximum planned enrollment with 274 patients treated across 33 U.S. sites, and it completed enrollment of 477 patients across 32 U.S. and European sites in the PREVENT trial evaluating Phasix Mesh for incisional hernia prevention.

RBC Capital Markets upgraded ResMed to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its price target to $262 from $244, citing positives in the respiratory device maker's fourth-quarter results for fiscal 2026. RBC analyst Craig Wong-Pan pointed to the quarter's large share buyback program for fiscal 2027 and the fact that it was the first time the company issued revenue and earnings guidance. Wong-Pan expects the San Diego, California-based MedTech to record high-single-digit earnings per share growth over the next three years despite a potential U.S. return of rival Philips, which faced a recall of millions of respiratory devices in 2021. The report was also the first for ResMed's new CFO, Aaron Bloomer, and the analyst wrote that it marked a pivotal change in how the company will be fiscally managed, adding that his upgrade was based on the company's positive earnings outlook and an undemanding valuation.

Claritev Corporation has appointed Ben Letham to its Board of Directors, effective September 14, 2026, filling a vacancy on the board. Letham is a research scientist at Meta, where he leads cross-company research, and he co-created Prophet, an open-source forecasting tool; he holds a Ph.D. in Operations Research from MIT and has co-authored more than 30 research papers, primarily on applied AI for core business problems. Claritev, a technology, data, and insights company trading on the NYSE under CTEV, said Letham's AI expertise will support its tech-driven growth strategy as it deploys more AI across its solutions. CEO and President Travis Dalton said the appointment reflects the company's continued evolution as an AI-forward company focused on solving real challenges for healthcare consumers. Letham said he looks forward to helping Claritev expand the frontier of responsible AI in healthcare.

AT&T has become the first and only carrier to offer free access to virtual healthcare powered by LifeMD, through an exclusive collaboration that gives eligible wireless and fiber customers a complimentary LifeMD membership valued at $228 annually. More than 100 million eligible AT&T wireless and fiber customers will receive access to LifeMD's nationwide virtual care and pharmacy platform, with the $19-per-month membership fee fully waived. The benefit is available through AT&T's &More program, and customers must enroll to receive it, paying only for the visits, prescriptions, or services they use, with visits starting at $29 for message-based care, $49 for urgent and primary care video visits, and $79 for specialty care. The first 29 million AT&T customers in 11 states — Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Iowa, Texas, New York, California, and Michigan — will receive the benefit initially, with additional markets joining in January 2027 as it expands nationwide. AT&T Consumer executive vice president and GM Jenifer Robertson said the offer gives eligible customers a simpler, more accessible way to manage their well-being, while LifeMD Chairman and CEO Justin Schreiber called it a landmark moment for the millions of Americans priced out of convenient, high-quality healthcare.

Abbott announced that its Volt Pulsed Field Ablation System was used for the first time in Canada at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal to treat patients with atrial fibrillation. The system, which received Health Canada authorization in April 2026, is designed to deliver more precise, targeted energy with fewer catheter exchanges and reduced radiation exposure than earlier-generation systems, and is also approved and available in the United States, Europe and Australia. Health Canada authorization was based on results from Abbott's VOLT-AF IDE study, a clinical trial of 392 patients conducted at 40 centres in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, which demonstrated clinically meaningful performance in both safety and effectiveness in treating paroxysmal AFib and persistent AFib. Dr. Atul Verma, director of cardiology at the McGill University Health Centre, said innovations like Volt are notable for combining real-time feedback with a distinctive catheter design that may help optimize contact and energy delivery during procedures. Christopher Piorkowski, chief medical officer of Abbott's electrophysiology business, said the system's introduction in Canada enables an approach that can support conscious sedation and may help make procedures more efficient while supporting quicker recovery. AFib affects between 500,000 to nearly one million Canadians, and people with the condition have 3 to 5 times greater risk for ischemic stroke.

Kestra Medical Technologies raised its fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $141 million from a prior $137 million, representing 48% growth over fiscal 2026, after first-quarter revenue grew 60% year-over-year to $31 million. Gross margin rose to 56.5% from 45.7% a year earlier, which CEO Brian Webster said marked the 11th consecutive quarter of sequential gross margin expansion. Webster also lifted the company's longer-term gross margin target to the mid-70s within the next few years, a meaningful increase from the previously communicated 70% goal. CFO Vaseem Mahboob attributed the quarter to continued WCD market expansion, competitive share gains, a higher mix of in-network patients and improvements in revenue cycle management, and said the second half of the year should be faster than the first as sales representatives ramp up. The quarter included a GAAP net loss of $44.1 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $24 million, while cash, cash equivalents and investments totaled $245 million, with liquidity of approximately $320 million including a new $200 million term loan facility announced in July.