Given that the healthcare institutions were focused on the Covid-19 and other emergency cases, several types of elective surgeries were postponed in the first half of 2020, impacting Abbott's medical devices sales.
However, the company's Diagnostics business in the U.S. saw a massive 2x sales growth between 2019 and 2021 due to Covid-19 testing. Now with economies opened up and the worst of the pandemic behind us, Abbott will likely see a slowdown in demand for the Diagnostics business.
Abbott's Q2 revenues were up 10% y-o-y to $11.3 billion, primarily led by a significant 33% jump in Diagnostics revenues due to continued demand for Covid-19 testing. The adjusted EPS rose 22% to $1.43 in Q2 2022 from $1.17 in Q2 2021.
Abbott secured the U.S. FDA approval for its Portico with FlexNav transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system in Sep 2021. This system is used to treat people with severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk for open-heart surgery.
Abbott in 2019 secured the U.S. FDA approval for its Proclaim XR neuro-stimulation system, which uses low doses of mild electrical pulses to change pain signals traveling from the spinal cord to the brain. Abbott could see strong sales of the new device, given that 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain.
Also, the U.S. FDA approved Abbott's ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitivity Troponin-I blood test, which aims to identify heart attacks hours earlier than previous methods.
The Medical Devices business for Abbott is doing well, primarily led by increased adoption of its HeartMate device. The segment has seen steady growth in the recent past (barring 2020 due to the pandemic), led by higher electrophysiology, structural heart, and Freestyle Libre sales. Electrophysiology growth is being driven by Confirm RxTM Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM), while the structural heart is benefiting from Amplatzer (TM) Occluder and higher sales of MitraClip, which the U.S. FDA has approved for the treatment of heart failure in patients with clinically significant secondary mitral regurgitation.
Below are some key drivers of Abbott's value that present opportunities for upside or downside to the current Trefis price estimate:
Established in 1888, Abbott Labs is a diversified healthcare conglomerate with a global presence. The firm operates in four primary segments: Nutritional Products, Diagnostic, Medical Devices, and Established Pharmaceuticals.
The nutritional segment includes pediatric, adult, healthy living, and sports nutrition products such as infant formulas, snack bars, and meal replacement shakes.
The diagnostics segment includes systems and tests for screening for drug abuse, cancer, therapeutic drug monitoring, fertility, physiological diseases, and infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
The medical devices segment includes minimally invasive devices for heart diseases, strokes, carotid artery diseases, and other severe vascular conditions.
The established pharmaceuticals segment includes a broad line of generic drugs manufactured worldwide and sold outside the U.S.
Today, more than 35% of Abbott’s sales come from emerging markets. Abbott's management has reiterated its intention to tap these high-potential emerging markets. In recent years, Abbott has made significant moves to expand its presence and product portfolio in many of the world's most populous and fastest-growing countries.
Abbott is a market leader in several product categories and continues to leverage its brand to launch new products. The number of new products launched annually has increased five-fold since 2008 on the back of the company's investments in R&D (as well as acquisitions). Both clinical trials and patent applications have increased 10-fold during the same period.
Since 2011, the company has expanded operating margins by more than 500 basis points. Abbott is further streamlining its operations to bring more efficiency and cost reductions to its business.
Per capita income levels in many emerging markets are rising rapidly, which provides an immense opportunity for growth in these markets. Also, new studies and increased access to information have led to increasing health consciousness in these markets. However, some emerging markets have patent law issues, which could ultimately limit the growth potential.
The average age of the adult population across the developed world is increasing. As the population gets older, demand for adult nutrition products and diagnostics increases. This should positively impact Abbott's revenue.
