Smith & Nephew has completed the acquisition of Blue Belt Holdings, also known as Blue Belt Technologies.
Here are five key notes:
1. Blue Belt will add to Smith & Nephew's partial knee implant portfolio with its Navio surgical system.
2. The Navio system currently provides robotics-assistance in unicondylar or partial knee replacement surgery through CT-free navigation software. It is a hand-held device.
3. Smith & Nephew intends to expand the Navio platform into total knee, bi-cruciate retaining knee and revision knee implants.
4. The news of the acquisition comes on the heels of rumors that Stryker is planning to make another bid for Smith & Nephew, which is based in the United Kingdom.
5. A Stryker-Smith & Nephew merger would be a significant move toward further consolidation of the orthopedic medical device industry. The industry has seen a number of major mergers in recent years, including last year's Zimmer-Biomet merger.