Johnson & Johnson provided updates on its robotics offerings during a second-quarter earnings call transcribed by Seeking Alpha.
Three takeaways:
1. Johnson & Johnson won't pursue a 510(k) pathway for its general surgery robotic platform in the U.S. due to COVID-19. Instead, it will begin first-in-human clinical studies of the robotic platform in the second half of 2022. Johnson & Johnson's general surgery offering will incorporate features from the Verb and Auris robotic platforms.
"We continue to be very excited about the overall program and that our continued investment here will offer a differentiated and competitive product to the market with better outcomes for patients," said Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and CFO Joseph Wolk.
2. Johnson & Johnson is progressing toward regulatory submission for an orthopedic robotic solution that is part of the Velys digital surgery platform and came out of the 2018 Orthotaxy acquisition. It will initially seek clearance for use in knee surgery.
3. Johnson & Johnson sees "tremendous growth opportunity" in the digital space, where market penetration is under 5 percent, said CEO Alex Gorsky. He added, "We continue to be impressed by the technology advancements we're seeing with both the Verb and Verily and the Auris combination."
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