Johnson & Johnson picks up French robot-assisted surgery firm Orthotaxy

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) said today that its medical device business paid an undisclosed amount to acquire French robot-assisted surgery company Orthotaxy.

J&J said it plans to expand the early-stage technology from total and partial knee replacements into other orthopedic surgeries as part of its bid to create a new robot-assisted platform using “enabling technologies to personalize procedures, optimize surgery and bring value to customers and patients.”

“Our goal is to bring to market a robotic-assisted surgery technology that is an integral part of a comprehensive orthopedics platform, delivering value to patients, physicians and healthcare providers across the episode of care,” DePuy Synthes chairman Ciro Rӧmer said in prepared remarks. “The team at Orthotaxy has significant expertise and passion in developing this platform, and we aspire to bring to market a differentiated technology that helps improve clinical outcomes and increases patient satisfaction.”

Orthotaxy was founded by Stéphane Lavallée, a robotics entrepreneur, J&J said.

In addition to its in-house robotics program, Johnson & Johnson is in a joint venture with Alphabet‘s (NSDQ:GOOGL) Verily Life Sciences called Verb Surgical, which debuted its prototype early last year.