J&J enters US robotic surgery market after device gets marketing authorization
JNJ•FDA authorizes Ottava for multiple upper-abdomen procedures
July 22 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted marketing authorization for its robotic surgery device, as the healthcare conglomerate enters the soft-tissue robotic surgery market.
The decision marks a key step for J&J's medtech business that had been seeking to compete in the robotic-assisted surgery market, currently dominated by Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system. Medtronic's Hugo robot was also approved last year.
J&J's Ottava robotic surgical system was authorized for use in multiple general surgery procedures in the upper abdomen, including gastric bypass, gastrectomy, gallbladder removal, gastric sleeve surgery, appendectomy and hiatal hernia repair.
The company said it would begin a U.S. commercial launch with select customers, while working on expanding the system into additional indications and regulatory markets.
"Our intention is to lead in surgical robotics... we're also planning fast launches in key markets globally, like Japan and Western Europe," said Hani Abouhalka, chairman of surgery at J&J MedTech, adding the global robotic surgical procedure penetration is 8%.
