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A 51-physician Barclays survey of U.S. hip and knee surgeons today prompted analyst Matthew Taylor to question investors’ expectations for Stryker‘s (NYSE:SYK) Mako robot-assisted surgery platform.
Some 22% of the docs surveyed reported using the Mako system, most for partial knee replacement procedures, with 25.5% saying they would use it more in the future, Taylor wrote in a note to investors, “leading us to believe that MAKO uptake will be modest.”
“In our view, there is a mismatch between investor expectations for Mako (which are high) and the market reality (which is mixed). While our survey showed some signs of enthusiasm for robotics, doctors called this the most ‘over-hyped’ area,” he wrote.
And 47% of the surgeon respondents said they don’t believe Stryker’s Triathlon total knee offering for Mako will significantly increase Mako adoption, with 39% saying they believe it will.
