Medtech


October 27, 2025

GKOS: iDose Coverage Question Tea Leaves

By John Leppard

The questions to be addressed at a November 12 Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) on GKOS’s iDose bolster our expectations for real, but likely manageable, headwinds via an eventual local coverage determination (LCD), which we suspect…

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October 23, 2025

GKOS: iDose Smoke or Fire?

By John Leppard

We view the weakness in GKOS shares this week as somewhat overdone following the announcement that iDose will be the subject of a Nov. 12 Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting among five Medicare Administrative Contractors…

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October 17, 2025

Medtech & Biopharma 4Q25 Issue Items

By John Leppard

Even amid a government shutdown – and in some ways because of it – 4Q25 promises a large number of policy catalysts across the medtech, diagnostics, life science tools (LST), and biopharma landscapes, informing company…

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October 15, 2025

Multi-Cancer / Colorectal Coverage & Payments

By John Leppard

We remain cautiously optimistic that any eventual longer-term FY26 funding bill will include legislation allowing – but not requiring – Medicare coverage of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening [GH, EXAS, GRAL]. Larger firms may nevertheless…

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October 9, 2025

CGMs & Insulin Pumps: Competitive Bidding Lookahead

By John Leppard

Despite the nearly ubiquitous opposition of stakeholders, we think CMS will likely finalize its intention to include continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) [DXCM, ABT] in the next round of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), along with…

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September 11, 2025

[EXAS, GH] Colorectal Cancer Coverage to Get More Crowded

By John Leppard

With CMS reopening its coverage policy for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening yesterday after the close, it seems likely that the space will get a bit more crowded for EXAS and GH, as we would expect…

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September 8, 2025

Merit Medical (MMSI): Wrapsody Pass-Through Prospects

By John Leppard

We remain skeptical of Merit Medical’s (MMSI) prospects for a Medicare hospital outpatient transitional pass-through (TPT) payment for its Wrapsody Cell Impermeable Endoprosthesis (CIE), following confirmation of its application last week, setting it up for…

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September 2, 2025

Tools & NIH: House Rejects Trump But Targets Indirect Costs

By John Leppard

We view the FY26 NIH funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee last night, in advance of its markup at 5pm ET this afternoon, as positive for life science tools (LST) manufacturers, with both…

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August 29, 2025

Tools: NIH Markup & Improving Award Outlays

By John Leppard

With the House Appropriations health subcommittee announcing a markup of its FY26 HHS funding bill on Tues., Sept. 2 [available here], we maintain our view that topline funding numbers for NIH will likely remain flat…

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July 31, 2025

The State of Biopharma, Tools, & Research Spending

By John Leppard

This morning’s Senate Appropriations Committee’s markup of the FY26 Labor / HHS funding bill, which includes a $400M increase (+0.8% YoY) for NIH, should serve as an interim clearing event for life science tools (LST)…

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