Zimmer Biomet spends $133M on surgical robot maker

Zimmer Biomet executives have apparently changed their minds when it comes to avoiding the surgical robotics bandwagon. Zimmer Biomet CEO David Dvorak wasn’t kidding about the company’s appetite for acquisitions when he spoke to analysts in April.

The Warsaw, IN, company just announced that it will acquire French surgical robotics maker Medtech S.A. for more than $133 million.

It’s the second acquisition for Zimmer Biomet in as many months. In June, the company announced it would acquire spinal device company LDR Holding Corp. (Austin, TX) for $1 billion. One year earlier, Zimmer and Biomet joined together in their own $14 billion mega-merger.

Medtech’s Rosa robotic arm has architecture that replicates the movements of a human arm—with six degrees of freedom. (Image courtesy of MedtechS.A.)

It’s the second acquisition for Zimmer Biomet in as many months. In June, the company announced it would acquire spinal device company LDR (Austin, TX) for $1 billion. One year earlier, Zimmer and Biomet joined together in their own $14 billion mega-merger.

The Rosa device is now present in twenty hospitals in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, according to Medtech’s website.

The Medtech acquisition will give Zimmer Biomet entry into the surgical robotics market, following competitor Smith & Nephew’s January 2016 purchase of Blue Belt (Plymouth, MN) for $275 million. Blue Belt’s Navio handheld, robotic-assisted technology guides the surgeon in creating a virtual surgical plan that removes the need for standard mechanical cutting guides and jigs.

Source: www.pharmiweb.com