Design patents can provide extra protection for medical robots

Filing design patents can protect a medical robot’s overall aesthetic and the software user interface.

Roman Fayerberg, Todd C. Basile and David J. Dykeman, Greenberg Traurig

[Image from Pixabay]

Medical robotics companies often emphasize utility patents when building strategic patent portfolios, given the complex nature of robotics technology. However, don’t overlook design patents, which provide another layer of protection by covering elements of robotics beyond the scope of utility patents.

A robust patent portfolio is an important indicator of a successful medical robotics company. As the medical robotics industry continues to grow and more and more companies enter the increasingly competitive market, a medical robotics company needs a comprehensive and strategic patent portfolio around its technology to compete. A strategic patent portfolio attracts investors, keeps competitors at bay, and provides …

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The top 5 medtech news stories of 2021

The past year saw significant changes in the medtech space. Our editorial team picked their top stories.

The lingering COVID-19 pandemic was top of mind in 2021, but there was much more going on in the medical device industry. The Life Sciences editorial team here at WTWH Media discussed their top picks during the December 17 episode of our DeviceTalks Weekly podcast.

Go to our sister site Medical Design & Outsourcing to read more. 

And here are some MassDevice stories that got social media attention in 2021…

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The top 5 medtech news stories of 2021

The past year saw significant changes in the medtech space. Our editorial team picked their top stories.

The lingering COVID-19 pandemic was top of mind in 2021, but there was much more going on in the medical device industry. The Life Sciences editorial team here at WTWH Media discussed their top picks during the December 17 episode of our DeviceTalks Weekly podcast.

Tom Salemi, DeviceTalks Editorial Director: Vicarious Surgical goes public

Back in 2020, Vicarious Surgical seemed like the little surgical robotics company that could — seeking to succeed in a space dominated by Intuitive, with giants including Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson seeking to enter the market. Flash forward to 2021, and Vicarious was going public through a $1.1 billion special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal.

“We’ve got these smaller companies carving a niche for themselves,” Tom said of the surgical robotics space. He also noted that the deal was a great sign for medtech e…

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Johnson & Johnson must face former Auris Health shareholders’ fraud lawsuit

[Image from Unsplash]A Delaware judge has denied Johnson & Johnson’s motions to dismiss a fraud lawsuit filed by former shareholders of Auris Health, who alleged that J&J executives misrepresented their intentions for the robotic surgery company when they acquired it for $3.4 billion in 2019.

Acting as the representative of the former Auris shareholders, Fortis Advisors sued last year after the medtech giant released reserves related to the additional $2.35 billion in milestone payments that were part of the agreement.

J&J, its Ethicon subsidiary and top corporate officers violated the merger agreement and made false promises during negotiations, according to the lawsuit.

Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will in Delaware, in a December 13 order, allowed more than half of Fortis Advisors counts against J&J to proceed, though she dismissed claims against individual J&J executives on jurisdictional grounds.

Surgical robotics is a hot sp…

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Virtual Incision raises $46M for its miniaturized robotic platform

Virtual Incision is hte developer of the MIRA (miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant) platform. [Image courtesy of Virtual Incision]Virtual Incision announced today that it raised $46 million in a Series C round to support its miniaturized robots for laparoscopic surgery.

The company — based in Lincoln, Nebraska and Pleasanton, California — said the money will fund regulatory and clinical programs supporting the eventual commercialization of its MIRA (miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant) surgical platform.

“Virtual Incision’s goal is to transform surgery by providing a practical and hassle-free platform that will enable efficient, effective and affordable access to robotic-assisted technology, regardless of the site of care,” CEO John Murphy said in a news release.

Endeavour Vision and Baird Capital led the round, with participation from returning investor Bluestem Capital and others..

The company recently announced the first surgery using …

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Intuitive Surgical names new C-suite leaders, reports Street-beating Q3

Intuitive Surgical CEO Gary Guthart [Photo courtesy of Intuitive]

Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) today announced changes in the ranks of its senior leadership as the surgical robotics maker released Q3 results that exceeded expectations.

Sunnyvale, California-based Intuitive launched two new functional organizations — Strategy and Growth, and Global Business Services — and named leaders who will take over effective Jan. 1.

Dave Rosa, a 25-year veteran at Intuitive, will fill the new position of EVP and chief strategy and growth officer, while Henry Charlton (with more than 18 years of experience at the company) will serve as chief commercial officer.

Marshall Mohr, who has served as CFO for 15 years, will take the new position of EVP for Global Business Services. Replacing Mohr at CFO is Jamie Samath, who has been with Intuitive since 2013 and oversaw most finance functions as SVP of finance.

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FDA clears expanded machine vision capabilities for Asensus Surgical’s robotic surgery system

Asensus Surgical (NYSE American: ASXC) announced today that FDA has cleared next-gen augmented intelligence capabilities on its Senhance system’s Intelligent Surgical Unit.

The ISU already enabled machine vision-driven camera control; the system responded to the surgeon’s commands and even recognized certain objects and locations in the surgical field. The new ISU features expand the capabilities and introduce more advanced features, including 3D measurement, digital tagging, image enhancement and enhanced camera control — a first for soft-tissue abdominal surgery, according to the company.

“The addition of these pioneering digital capabilities on our existing surgical platform provides real-time intraoperative digital tools to surgeons and underscores our commitment to delivering our vision for performance-guided surgery,”  Asensus Surgical CEO Anthony Fernando said in a news release. “This is the latest example of our progress toward d…

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Smith+Nephew to expand into hip surgery with Cori surgical system

Smith+Nephew’s Real Intelligence digital ecosystem [Image courtesy of S+N]Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) is seeking FDA clearance for its RI.Hip Navigation software that would enable the use of its Cori surgical system for total hip arthroplasty.

The London-based medtech company touted the software today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2021 annual meeting in San Diego. The handheld Cori system is already FDA-cleared for both total and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

Competitors Stryker and Zimmer Biomet already have their Mako and Rosa systems respectively active in the total hip surgery space.

Smith+Nephew officials think they have an edge with small, portable, relatively affordable Cori because the surgeon gets to hold a handheld tool; there is also less radiation exposure associated with preoperative CT imaging. Robotics come into play because the tool’s spinning burr automatically stops when the surgeon is outside…

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Intuitive responds to FDA alert on robot-assisted mastectomies

The FDA is warning patients and health care providers that some clinical studies using robotically-assisted surgical devices for mastectomies may not have the proper regulatory supervision.

The FDA said it is “aware of allegations that clinical studies are being conducted using RAS devices to perform mastectomies for the prevention or treatment of cancer without the FDA oversight required for such significant risk studies.”

The agency has cleared robotically-assisted surgical devices for use in hysterectomies, prostatectomies and colectomy based on 30-day follow-ups with patients, but cautioned that it “has not evaluated the safety or effectiveness of RAS devices for the prevention or treatment of cancer, based on cancer-related outcomes such as overall survival, recurrence, and disease-free survival.”

Get the full story on our sister site Medical Design & Outsourcing. 

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Asensus Surgical reports mixed Q2 results

Asensus Surgical (NYSE American: ASXC) reported second-quarter results that beat the Wall Street earnings consensus forecast but missed on revenue.

The Research Triangle Park, N.C.–based surgical robotics company reported a loss of –$13.2 million, or –6¢ per common share, off revenue of $1.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 — versus a loss of –$14.1 million, –27¢ per share, off revenue of $0.7 million during Q2 2020.

Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share were –5¢, a penny ahead of The Street, where analysts were looking at EPS of –6¢ on sales of $1.5 million.

“During the quarter, we continued to drive strong adoption and utilization trends while making progress towards our strategic focus areas, including the expansion of clinical evidence, growth of our installed base, increased procedure volumes, the expansion of our portfolio and the continued technological development of Senhance. Importantly, I am encouraged by our proced…

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Intuitive Surgical to invest $500M in Georgia campus

Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) will spend more than $500 million to expand its Peachtree Corners campus northeast of Atlanta, according to Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp’s office.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.–based robotic surgery systems company — the dominant player in the space — has had a presence in Georgia for a decade. The plan is to expand the Peachtree Corners campus to 750,000 square feet of manufacturing and engineering operations, training facilities for surgeons and hospital care teams, and administrative offices.

The expansion will take place in phases, with completion in 2024. Intuitive plans to add 1,200 jobs on top of the 180 professionals it already has based in Peachtree Corners.

“Intuitive needs a highly educated, committed, and diverse workforce; quality infrastructure; and the right geography to meet the rising demand for minimally invasive surgical technologies,” Intuitive CEO Gary Guthart said in a news release out of Kemp’s o…

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FDA clears articulating instruments for Asensus Surgical’s robotic system

Asensus Surgical (NYSE American: ASXC) announced today that FDA has cleared 5 mm diameter articulating instruments for the company’s Senhance surgical system.

The instruments previously received a CE mark in the EU. They provide better access to difficult-to-reach areas of the anatomy by providing two additional degrees of freedom.

“Bringing the benefits of 5 mm articulating instruments to the Senhance surgical system in the U.S. will widen the clinical utility and value of our platform,” Asensus Surgical  CEO Anthony Fernando said in a news release. “Combining articulation and haptics with augmented intelligence is a very promising development for performance-guided surgery.”

The Senhance system is a digital laparoscopic platform that leverages augmented intelligence, with the goal of boosting performance and patient outcomes. Senhance includes surgical assurance through haptic feedback, eye-tracking camera control and 3D visualization. Asen…

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