How Will Stryker Enter the Surgical Robotics Fray?

A recent analyst report from BTIG’s Ryan Zimmerman asks an important question that could significantly impact the surgical robotics market.

Zimmerman pointed to the Society of America Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) annual meeting and in particular, Stryker’s participation at the event.

He noted Stryker was highlighting its 1788 Platform; its latest and greatest video tower platform. The 1788 Platform features a number of enhancements over prior generations; an OLED monitor, the 1788 camera, SPY-PHI handheld for perfusion imaging, a built-in insufflator, and other features.

“Stryker is clearly committed to laparoscopic surgery through its technology offerings, but the question still remains if it will choose to enter the robotic surgery field with an acquisition or partnership of a newer emerging system,” Zimmerman wrote in research notes. “We believe it is keeping close tabs on many of the newer systems in the field.”

There’s a lot of activity occurring in the surgical robotics space. Late last week, Intuitive Surgical unveiled the latest iteration of the da Vinci, which Zimmerman called the star of the SAGES.

“We had the opportunity to test drive the Dv5 after the crowd died down on Friday and frankly, we think it’s pretty slick (and it's not just us, doctors we spoke with agreed),” Zimmerman wrote. “Force feedback is a fantastic development that we believe may aid in the adoption of robotic surgery as it does make it easier to understand movement inside the abdomen as opposed to visual cues.”

In November, Johnson & Johnson announced plans to submit an IDE application to FDA by the second half of this year to initiate clinical trials for its Ottava surgical robotic system.  The New Brunswick, NJ-based company had previously announced a delay in pursuing regulatory plans.

Medtronic is the other big player in the surgical robotics space with its Hugo solution. Zimmerman noted the Dublin-based company didn’t feature Hugo at SAGES.

“While Medtronic’s Hugo was not on display, we wonder if [the company] will be in a position next year to display Hugo at SAGES,” Zimmerman wrote. “Medtronic is targeting urology as Hugo's first indication in the US but with general surgery indications elsewhere in the world, we expect Medtronic to pursue general surgery indications in the US rapidly.”