May 22, 2013
St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) makes devices for cardiovascular and neurological conditions, including mechanical heart valves, pacemakers, and catheters. The company generates the majority of its revenue from its Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) division, which makes implantable cardiac rhythm devices (ICDs) and pacemakers. The company earned $4.7 billion in revenue and $777 million in 2009.[1]
St. Jude is dependent on the market for implantable cardiac defibrillators; roughly one-third of the company's revenue came from its ICD business. Sales of ICDs have have stagnated in recent years. Several studies suggest that a majority of patients eligible to receive ICDs don't actually receive referrals for the devices from their doctors, implying that the market for ICDs may be smaller than initially estimated by ICD manufacturers.
(Read more at Wikinvest
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