Smith & Nephew acquires surgical robotics company

Smith & Nephew is to acquire Blue Belt Holdings, a company that creates orthopaedic robotics, for £180 million ($275 million)

Olivier Bohuon, chief executive officer of Smith & Nephew, said: “Our experience working with Blue Belt and our customer insight has convinced us that robotics will become increasingly mainstream across orthopaedic reconstruction in the foreseeable future.

“It [the acquisition] reinforces our distinctive orthopaedic reconstruction strategy, which combines cutting edge innovation, disruptive business models and a strong emerging markets platform to drive outperformance.”

As part of the transaction Smith & Nephew will acquire Blue Belt’s Navio surgical system.

The Navio system provides robotics-assistance in partial knee replacement surgery through CT-free navigation software and a hand-held, robotic bone-shaping device. It is a portable system for hospitals or ambulatory surgical centres.

Eric Timko, president and CEO of Blue Belt Technologies, said: “Blue Belt Technologies has redefined robotics in orthopaedic surgery.

“We are delighted to be joining with Smith & Nephew, with whom we share a passion for innovation and a mission to support healthcare professionals. Together we will realise the many opportunities to bring the benefits of robotics-assisted surgery to more patients and new indications.”