Medical-device companies could benefit from an improving economy and a clearer view of health-system changes this year, but they will still have to contend with plenty of challenges.
These include toughening regulatory oversight, hospitals battling high device prices, an expected multibillion-dollar tax as part of health-overhaul legislation, and no big innovations to invigorate sales.
“I don’t see [device companies] ever going back to the premiums they used to command, at least until there are some new technologies driving growth,” said Tim Nelson, a senior health-care analyst at FAF Advisors Inc. in Minnesota, which owns shares of device companies.
Device stocks …
