Robo-surgeon to be exclusively distributed by Surgical Innovations' subsidiary

Surgical Innovations’ subsidiary Elemental Healthcare on Tuesday signed a three year exclusive UK distribution agreement with Swiss surgical robot manufacturer, DistalMotion.

The Swiss company’s ‘Dexter’ robot allows a surgeon to swap from robotic to laparoscopic surgery and back as required within the sterile field and will be CE marked in the middle of 2019, giving Elemental Healthcare time to train a dedicated team in preparation for its launch.

Adam Power, group development director of Surgical Innovations, said: "The market for surgical robots in the UK is limited by the cost and by the range of applications for which existing competitors are appropriate. 'Dexter' offers a much broader range of surgical opportunities and employs a novel funding model."

Power added that he therefore expected ‘Dexter’ to address the issues limiting the growth of surgical robots in the UK.

Surgical Innovations is a designer and manufacturer of innovative technology for minimally invasive surgery and subsidiary Elementis is a supplier to both the NHS and the UK’s private healthcare sector.

Matthias Reif, head of sales and marketing of DistalMotion, said: "Elemental Healthcare is a proven partner to commercialise innovative technology, and we are excited to partner as we believe this is the best route to commercialise 'Dexter'. The UK market is among the largest medical device markets in Europe, and a key region for Distalmotion to prove robotic surgery can be simplified and integrated."

Surgical Innovations’ shares were up 3.45% at 3.00p at 1631 GMT.