Stryker, which has been looking to get into the soft tissue robotics market for years, is now positioned to compete with new entrants Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic.

Competition in robotic surgery is heating up as J&J and Medtronic take on market leader Intuitive. Now, Stryker is entering the foray through its agreement with CMR.

Stryker has a history in robotics with its Mako orthopedic system, reporting record installations in the first quarter.

Given Stryker’s experience with Mako and their large hospital operating room equipment franchise, “the door always seemed open” for Stryker to enter the soft tissue robotic surgery market, Wise wrote.

CMR is roughly second or third in terms of the global robotic installed base, Wise estimated. The company’s robot, called Versius, has a modular design, so it can be moved between operating rooms. While CMR is only authorized for gallbladder procedures in the U.S., the company plans to seek additional soft tissue indications in the future.

The agreement with CMR would give Stryker the exclusive option to buy the robotics company’s remaining shares. Stryker has sales rights for Versius in the U.S., while CMR will continue to lead commercial efforts in other markets.

Andy Pierce, Stryker’s group president for Medsurg and Neurotechnology, said Stryker has evaluated soft tissue robotics for years, and the company chose CMR Surgical “because of the opportunity to help healthcare providers grow robotic-assisted surgery adoption across a broad range of procedures in hospitals and [ambulatory surgery centers].”

P. Morgan’s Marcus said Stryker may start with marketing the Versius robot in lower cost facilities, such as ASCs, rather than going head to head with Intuitive’s market leading da Vinci system in hospitals.

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