Johnson & Johnson MedTech
(NYSE: JNJ)
announced today that investigators completed the first cases with its Ottava surgical robot.
The cases, performed by Dr. Erik Wilson, mark the first clinical experience with the highly anticipated robotic platform. Wilson, chief of minimally invasive surgery and elective general surgery at UT Health Houston, performed Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery using Ottava at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
“Surgical robotics is at the forefront of innovation in minimally invasive surgery,” Wilson said in a news release. “I am proud to have performed the first clinical study cases with Ottava and potentially help advance the standard in surgical robotics.”
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Ottava, a multi-specialty soft-tissue surgical robot, could support a range of procedures across patient anatomy and surgical specialties. Johnson & Johnson MedTech designed it to remove barriers to movement and collaboration in robotic operating rooms. It also offers surgical teams the freedom and flexibility to adapt to clinical workflows and individualize patient needs. The company aims for the robot to support complex surgeries that require a multi-quadrant approach.
The company plans to use data from the clinical evaluation of Ottava to support the system’s ability to perform a variety of procedures. Upon completion of the study, J&J plans to submit the robot to the FDA for de novo authorization. It targets an indication covering multiple procedures in general surgery within the upper abdomen. Those include gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, small bowel resection and hiatal hernia repair.
“We are proud to reach this important milestone in our robotic surgery program,” said Hani Abouhalka, company group chair, Surgery, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “Ottava is a key innovation in our portfolio of advanced surgical technologies – all of which are designed to transform the surgical experiences across all surgery. Our people work side-by-side with surgical teams in ORs around the world every day to raise the standard of care for patients and deliver what’s next in surgery.”
More about the Johnson & Johnson MedTech Ottava surgical robot
Johnson & Johnson first shared details on the Ottava surgical robotic platform about four-and-a-half years ago. The company hoped to penetrate the soft tissue robotics space dominated for decades by Intuitive Surgical.
However, after that day in November 2020, the company remained quiet on the topic for the most part. In October 2021, it pushed back the platform’s development timeline by about two years due to multiple factors.
The initial unveiling of Ottava highlighted a six-armed approach for the robot. In late 2023, the company shed more light on Ottava and some changes in its look over the time that had passed. The company said Ottava incorporates four robotic arms into a standard-size surgical table. Its unified architecture allows for an invisible design, J&J says. The robotic arms are available when needed and stowed beneath the surgical table when not.
In October 2024, the company announced that it submitted Ottava for IDE. Less than a month later, the FDA approved that IDE, enabling J&J to initiate this study of the surgical robot.
“As a company operating at the intersection of biology and technology, clinical evidence generation is the core of our innovation programs to advance surgical technology for patients,” said Dr. Peter Schulam chief scientific officer, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “Through this clinical study, we are proud to be partnering with surgeons to gather evidence and support the ongoing pursuit of scientific study for the advancement of robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery.”
