Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference 2026 summary

Market overview and growth drivers

• Electrophysiology (EP) market has doubled in four years to $16 billion, growing 12%-13% annually, with atrial fibrillation (AFib) as the main driver, representing over 60% of the mix and growing above 15%.

• Growth is fueled by increased patient awareness, improved diagnosis through technology like smartwatches, and significant under-penetration globally, especially outside the U.S.

• Geographic expansion in Europe and Asia, along with physician education and clinical evidence generation, are key growth opportunities.

• Price premiums from technology conversion (RF to PFA) add to revenue growth, with PFA penetration over 75% in the U.S., lower in Europe, and just starting in Asia.

Competitive positioning and innovation pipeline

• Achieved therapeutic unit leadership in the U.S. across all arrhythmia and ablation types, with strong momentum from the VARIPULSE Plus platform and integrated CARTO ecosystem.

• Plans to launch a new catheter annually through 2030 and at least two CARTO updates each year, aiming for the most comprehensive PFA portfolio with multimodal options tailored to patient needs.

• Innovation is accelerating, supported by a global R&D structure and seamless integration with CARTO, enabling real-time procedural feedback and advanced dosing indices.

CARTO platform advancements

• CARTO’s tissue proximity indicators (TPI) and AI-enabled features have led to a 61% reduction in 30-day rehospitalization rates for arrhythmia.

• CARTOSOUND Sonata model uses AI to build high-quality, CT-like maps of the heart, now including the left ventricle, with zero fluoroscopy and auto-labeling of structures and tissue thickness.

• CARTO EDGE will introduce edge computing, deeper tissue characterization, and multi-frequency impedance mapping for improved lesion quality assessment.