After a rough second half of last year, Medtronic
Revenue in Medtronic's fiscal third quarter rose 12% year over year. Much of that growth came from non-U.S. revenue, which grew 20% year over year. It now makes up 38% of Medtronic's top line.
The company's spinal neuromodulation, diabetes, and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) businesses experienced year-over-year double-digit revenue growth for the quarter. The spinal business was bolstered by Medtronic's Kyphon acquisition, but still grew 11% without it. Diabetes and ENT rose 14% and 15%, respectively.
Given the recent recall of its defibrillation leads, it was nice to see a 3% year-over-year increase in Medtronic's cardiac rhythm disease management division. The quick turnaround from last quarter's decline owed to the company's swift transition of patients from its Sprint Fidelis leads to Sprint Quattro leads. Medtronic lost some market share to competitors like Boston Scientific
Looking forward, the company has two big launches this quarter: its drug-eluting stent Endeavor, and the RestoreULTRA neurostimulator to control pain. The stent will compete in a tough market, with entrenched leaders Johnson & Johnson
Add those two big launches to the recently acquired Kyphon products, and you can see why Medtronic's management is excited about its future. Call me cynical, but it's going to take a few quarters of solid sales of the new products to get me excited about the company's future.