Johnson & Johnson Teams With Google On Surgery Robot Development

Johnson & Johnson JNJ will develop robotic surgical devices through a collaboration with Google Inc GOOGL, the company said Friday.

Financial terms weren't disclosed.

Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon medical device unit will work with Google on robotic-assisted surgery, a type of minimally invasive surgery that uses technology to give surgeons improved control, access and accuracy during surgical procedures.

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter, subject to anti-trust review by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Shares of Google and Johnson & Johnson were unchanged on the news.

Robotic surgery equipment maker Intuitive Surgical, Inc. ISRG was also unmoved.

A recent meta-analysis of more than 4,000 studies on robotic surgery offered insufficient evidence to determine whether robotic surgery is better than traditional minimally invasive surgery, Chris Schabowsk of ECRI Institute told HealthLine News.

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