Q2 earnings season is wrapping up. The second half of 2026 is taking shape.
Here is what the numbers are telling us and what it means for anyone building a career in this industry right now.
THE EDITOR’S NOTE
A few thoughts from the field before we get into it…
Every year around this time, the industry takes a little breather. Q2/H1 earnings are in, the summer conference season is winding down, and companies start making the decisions that will define the second half of their year: where to invest, what to launch, which territories to build out, and who to hire to make it happen.
2026 has been one of the most active years in medtech in recent memory. In the first three issues of this newsletter, we have covered a surgical robotics market that is suddenly very crowded, an M&A wave reshaping competitive dynamics across the industry, and AI technology that is changing what it means to sell in this space. None of that activity slows down in the second half. In most cases, it accelerates.
This week, we look at what the second half of 2026 is shaping up to look like, what the Q2/H1 earnings season is telling us about where the growth is, and what it means specifically for anyone trying to break into the industry or take their career to the next level before the year is out.
The window between now and December is one of the best times of year to have career conversations in this industry. Companies are finalizing headcount plans, new product launches are coming online, and hiring managers are thinking about who they need in place going into 2027. If you are serious about making a move, the time is now.
Glad you're here. Let's get into it.
Andy Knapik, Founder
The Modern Med Rep
INDUSTRY INTEL
What's moving in med device this week and why it matters
Five Things Shaping the Industry Right Now
→ GE HealthCare posted record orders in Q2, but one segment is in serious trouble.
Total revenue hit $5.3 billion, up 5.6% year over year, with Advanced Imaging Solutions and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics leading growth. But Patient Care Solutions, which covers monitoring and anesthesia equipment, declined 13.5% due to component shortages and fulfillment problems. Management is now reviewing "strategic options" for the segment, language that in medtech almost always signals a divestiture is being considered. Watch this one closely.
→ Abbott raised its full-year profit forecast after a strong Q2.
Medical devices grew 9% to $5.85 billion, and diagnostics grew 42% to $3.09 billion. As we covered in Issue #3, Abbott's $21 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences was a major bet on cancer diagnostics. The Q2 numbers suggest that the bet is paying off. Cologuard is gaining both new and repeat users, and analysts who were skeptical of the deal are now changing their tone. The integration seems to be working.
→ The EU AI Act's high-risk requirements become enforceable this month for medical devices.
Any AI-enabled device sold in Europe now faces a new compliance layer on top of existing MDR and IVDR requirements. For device professionals operating in or targeting European markets, this affects product timelines, launch strategies, and the regulatory conversations happening with hospital customers. It is also a signal that AI governance in medtech is moving from guidance documents to enforceable law.
→ Alzheimer's diagnostics is quietly becoming a meaningful growth segment.
GE HealthCare reported double-digit revenue growth for Vizamyl, its amyloid PET imaging agent, linked directly to rising adoption of Alzheimer's therapies. As lecanemab and other amyloid-targeting drugs become more widely used, the demand for diagnostic imaging to identify eligible patients is accelerating. This is a segment worth watching for anyone in imaging, neurology, or diagnostics.
→ Component shortages are still disrupting medtech supply chains in ways that affect the field.
Memory chips, specialized electronics, and critical components are creating fulfillment challenges across the industry. GE HealthCare flagged it in Q2. It is not an isolated problem. For reps, this means longer lead times, harder conversations with hospital purchasing managers, and a need to understand your company's supply chain position before those conversations happen. The reps who can speak to it credibly will stand out from those who cannot.
MARKET SPOTLIGHT
A deep dive into the segments, companies and technologies shaping the industry
AI-Enabled Imaging and Diagnostics: Where the Next Commercial Wave Is Building
If surgical robotics was the defining commercial story of the first half of 2026, AI-enabled imaging and diagnostics may be the defining story of the second half. The technology is moving fast, clinical validation is accumulating, and the companies best positioned to sell it are starting to pull ahead.
The imaging market itself is large and well-established. GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, Philips, and Canon Medical collectively dominate a segment that generates tens of billions in annual revenue from CT, MRI, ultrasound, and molecular imaging systems. What is changing is not the hardware category. It is what the hardware can do, and what that means for commercial conversation.
AI is doing three things in imaging right now that matter commercially. First, it improves image quality and reconstruction speed, reducing scan times, streamlining workflows in radiology departments, and creating a concrete clinical and operational case for upgrade cycles. GE HealthCare's True Definition DL platform and Siemens Healthineers' AI-Rad Companion are both showing measurable workflow improvements that radiologists and department heads can quantify. Second, AI enables new clinical applications that were not previously possible at scale. Photon-counting CT, which GE HealthCare is commercializing through its Photonova Spectra platform, produces images with significantly higher resolution and lower radiation dose than conventional CT. It opens new lines of communication with the oncology, cardiology, and vascular surgery departments. Third, AI is driving the diagnostics pipeline in ways that create demand for imaging. The Alzheimer's therapy story is the clearest current example.
The Alzheimer's imaging opportunity. Lecanemab (Leqembi) and other amyloid-targeting Alzheimer's drugs require patients to be confirmed amyloid-positive before treatment begins. That confirmation requires either a PET scan using an amyloid imaging agent or a cerebrospinal fluid test. As therapy adoption grows, so does demand for amyloid PET imaging. GE HealthCare's Vizamyl and Eli Lilly's Amyvid are the two primary FDA-approved agents for this purpose. Double-digit growth in Vizamyl revenue is a direct reflection of Alzheimer's therapy uptake, and that relationship will strengthen as more patients are diagnosed and treated. For anyone in molecular imaging or neurology-adjacent diagnostics, this is a tailwind that is only beginning.
What this means for the commercial landscape. The reps selling AI-enabled imaging systems today are having fundamentally different conversations than they were three years ago. The clinical outcomes data are stronger. The case for operational efficiency is easier to make. And hospital administrators and department heads are more receptive because the pressure to do more with less is not going away. At the same time, the complexity of the sale has increased. AI features require clinical education, workflow integration discussions, and, in many cases, IT and data security conversations that did not exist in traditional imaging sales. The reps who understand both the clinical value and the operational implementation of these technologies are the ones building the strongest positions in this market.
The segment to watch in H2 2026:
Molecular imaging and AI-enhanced diagnostics. The convergence of Alzheimer's therapy adoption, photon-counting CT commercialization, and AI-powered workflow tools is creating a commercial environment in imaging that has not been this active in years. GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, and the diagnostic imaging pharma companies are all building or expanding commercial teams to support it.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Where the jobs are, what’s paying, and how to position yourself to get there
The H2 2026 Hiring Picture: Where to Focus Your Energy Right Now
Industry Foundation: Before we get into where jobs are, a quick framework for anyone new to how this industry is structured.
Medical device companies bring products to market through two commercial models. Some use a direct sales force, where reps are employed by the manufacturer, receive a base salary plus commission, and represent only that company's products. Others sell through independent distributors, third-party organizations that carry multiple product lines, hire their own reps, and manage their own territories. Understanding which model a company uses changes how you find the opportunity, how you get in the door, and what the compensation structure looks like.
If you want to understand how both tracks work and which one might be the right fit for you, the Med Device Career Decoder breaks it all down in plain language. Find it at www.themodernmedrep.com.
The data on medtech hiring in 2026 is striking. J&J MedTech's active job postings rose 196% in 2026, climbing from 20 new postings per month in 2023 to 732 per month in 2026. That is not a gradual increase. That is a company aggressively building out commercial infrastructure around its new robotics, cardiovascular, and vision platforms. And J&J is not alone.
Here is where the H2 career opportunity is most concentrated, and what to do about it.
New product launches create hiring windows. J&J's Ottava robotic system received FDA approval and is entering commercial launch. The VARIPULSE pulsed-field ablation system is ramping up. Both require clinical specialists, territory reps, and training coordinators who understand the technology well enough to support it in the field. When a company launches a significant new product, it typically needs commercial talent in place before peak selling season. The second half of the year is when those roles get filled.
The GE Patient Care Solutions situation. GE HealthCare is reviewing "strategic options" for its Patient Care Solutions segment, which covers patient monitors and anesthesia delivery systems. If that review results in a divestiture or spin-off, the pattern is familiar from Issue #3: a newly standalone business needs to rebuild its own commercial infrastructure. The reps, clinical specialists, and account managers who currently sell monitoring and anesthesia equipment at GE HealthCare will be the most sought-after candidates when that happens. If you have experience in this space, start building relationships now.
Imaging and diagnostics is accelerating. GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, and molecular imaging diagnostics companies are all expanding their commercial teams focused on AI-enabled imaging and Alzheimer's diagnostics. These roles combine capital equipment sales experience with clinical knowledge in radiology, neurology, and oncology. Background in imaging, oncology, or diagnostics is a strong entry point.
The timing argument. Companies hiring for H1 2027 headcount are making those decisions now. Budget cycles in most large medtech organizations run on a calendar year, which means hiring managers have until Q4 to get people onboarded and trained. A candidate who starts conversations in August or September has a meaningful advantage over one who waits until January. The window is open right now.The one thing most candidates miss: Companies rarely post roles for the integration teams building the new commercial infrastructure. These conversations happen first through internal networks and recruiting firms. The candidates who get those calls are the ones who were visible before the need became urgent.
One data point worth remembering: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in medical equipment and supplies manufacturing will grow from 329,700 workers to roughly 345,500 over the next decade. That is steady, structural growth in a sector that does not experience the boom-bust cycles of other industries. The long-term foundation is sound. The short-term opportunity is significant.
THE MED INSIDER
One thing every med device professional should know this week
What the Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Wave Means for Device Career
The connection between Alzheimer's therapy adoption and diagnostic imaging demand is one of the more underappreciated commercial stories in medtech right now. It is worth understanding in some depth because it will drive hiring and territory activity in molecular imaging and neurological diagnostics over the next several years.
Here is the mechanism. Drugs like lecanemab (Leqembi), developed by Eisai and Biogen, are the first disease-modifying Alzheimer's therapies to show meaningful clinical benefit. They work by targeting amyloid plaques in the brain. But they only work for patients who actually have amyloid buildup, which means patients need to be confirmed amyloid-positive before starting treatment. That confirmation requires either a PET scan using an amyloid imaging agent or a lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Most patients and physicians prefer the PET approach.
The commercial chain this creates is direct. More Alzheimer's therapy adoption means more demand for amyloid PET scans. More amyloid PET scans mean more demand for amyloid imaging agents like Vizamyl (GE HealthCare) and Amyvid (Eli Lilly). More demand for imaging agents means more PET scanner utilization and, eventually, pressure on hospitals and imaging centers to add capacity. Every link in that chain is a commercial opportunity for device professionals in molecular imaging, nuclear medicine, and neurology.
The scale of the opportunity is significant. An estimated 6.9 million Americans currently live with Alzheimer's, and that number is projected to reach nearly 13 million by 2050. Lecanemab's label covers early Alzheimer's disease, which represents a large eligible population that has historically been underdiagnosed and undertreated. As awareness grows and the therapy becomes more widely reimbursed, the diagnostic funnel will need to scale accordingly.
For device professionals, the practical implication is this: molecular imaging and neurology-adjacent diagnostics is a segment where clinical knowledge of the Alzheimer's diagnostic pathway, understanding of PET imaging workflow, and familiarity with the therapy landscape creates real differentiation. It is a niche today. It is becoming a growth segment.
Worth knowing: Neuraceq (manufactured by Life Molecular Imaging) is a third FDA-approved amyloid PET imaging agent alongside Vizamyl and Amyvid. All three are competing for positioning as lecanemab adoption grows. The companies behind these agents are building out their medical affairs and commercial teams in parallel with the therapy market expansion.
FROM THE FIELD
Your Questions, Answered
This week's question fits the H2 theme well:
"I have been applying to med device roles for six months with no luck. I have a strong B2B background, and I am doing everything right on paper. What am I missing?"
The honest answer is that "doing everything right on paper" is exactly the problem. Med device hiring, especially for people coming from outside the industry, is almost never decided on paper. It is decided in conversations. Applications to device roles from outside the industry have a low hit rate not because hiring managers do not want diverse backgrounds, but because the people who get the interviews almost always came through a warm introduction rather than an online portal.
Six months of applying without traction is a signal to change the strategy, not to refine the resume. The question to ask is: how many actual conversations am I having with people inside the industry? Not recruiters, not LinkedIn messages, not applications. Conversations. If the answer is fewer than ten per month, the volume is too low.
The specific moves that work: find a device rep willing to let you shadow them for a day. Attend a medical conference or hospital event where reps are present. Get into a clinical environment in any capacity. Then go back to those applications with a story to tell, not just a resume to submit. The paper matters less than the access, and the access comes from the network.
Have a question? Reply to this email. The best ones make it into the next issue.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”
- Mark Twain
