More on J&J: Ottava System and Monarch https://www.massdevice.com/breaking-johnson-johnson-finally-unveils-its-new-robot-assisted-surgery-system/ When you read these excerpts, keep in mind that they are integrating Ottava with Monarch, which uses QNX (see the previous J&J post):
J&J today shared details on its surgical
robotic platform that it says offers unrivaled flexibility and control compared to the rest of the market. The new system is designed with six arms to provide more control and flexibility in surgery, while its arms will be integrated into the operating table. Additionally, the platform has a zero-footprint design to enable patient access, increase space in the operating room and improve workflow.
J&J’s unveiling included a name for the
new platform: Ottava. Robot-assisted surgery is currently a hot area in medtech — with J&J, Medtronic and others seeking to take on
Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:
ISRG), which dominates the space with its da Vinci robots.
J&J believes its developing platform offers more than any other available system in terms of flexibility.
“Currently, there is no robotic system that provides robotic control and coordination across a full breadth of procedures,” Moll said. “It is my team’s ambition to enable our platform to improve outcomes across a broad range of disease states.”
Moll said J&J is in the “exciting stage of development” where the platform is “coming to life.”
The company is planning on beginning verification and validation processes for Ottava in 2021, followed by enrollment in clinical trials for the device in 2022.
J&J’s digital ecosystem — designed to connect its surgical and robotic platforms — is set to power Ottava, while the company has eyes on combining it with the FDA-cleared Monarch robotic surgical platform acquired from Auris Health to access and treat challenging anatomy in a minimally invasive way. Along with the company’s excitement over the Ottava system,
J&J has high hopes for its expansion in the overall digital surgery space. The Monarch platform is already FDA-cleared for certain indications, but J&J is looking to move the platform toward cancer diagnosis and treatment. The company sees the potential to offer endoluminal drug and energy treatment through this avenue. The global head of J&J’s lung cancer initiative Dr. Avi Spira said that the localized drug delivery, straight to cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions, offers minimized toxicity, increased efficacy and the potential for new therapies. J&J has plans to start first-in-human trials for the Monarch in delivering drug and energy treatment. “We believe our unified, unique approach will ultimately expand beyond lung cancer,” Spira said. “There’s an opportunity for J&J to further transform the trajectory of human health.”