Hugo is already on the market in some countries, but made a slow start commercially. Medtronic cut its sales forecast in 2021, slashing the midpoint of its range from $75 million to $30 million. Sales are now starting to ramp up, Medtronic said in its most recent financial results, but supply chain and manufacturing problems in the U.S. mean the company missed the fall 2022 launch date target it set itself in 2020.
Now, Medtronic has belatedly reached the next hurdle in its race to the U.S. market. Michael Abern recently carried out the first procedure in Medtronic’s investigational device exemption trial at Duke University Hospital, marking the start of a push to gather clinical data to support U.S. market entry.
