Intuitive Surgical's New da Vinci Robot Gets CE Mark - Analyst Blog

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. ISRG edged up 0.7% yesterday after the company's announcement of getting the Conformité Européenne CE Mark for its recently launched robotic surgical system, da Vinci Xi.

With the CE Mark, Intuitive Surgical's new da Vinci system move to the next level as the company will now be able to market the product in Europe and other countries that require the CE Mark. In April, da Vinci Xi system already got the approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing the product in the U.S.

da Vinci Xi: An Overview

Intuitive Surgical revealed that da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system has longer instrument shafts enabling greater reach for surgery. The robotic arms of the system are also smaller and thinner and have a new joint design that improves their range of motion. The system also includes an overhead instrument arm design providing surgeons anatomical access from most of the positions.

da Vinci Xi offers advanced features over its original da Vinci System. It includes wristed instruments, intuitive motion and an ergonomic design. Most notably, it enables 3D-HD visualization, which helps surgeons perform surgical procedures with a magnified view, virtually extending their eyes and hands into the patient.

Future Plans

Intuitive Surgical aims to apply for additional regulatory clearances to market the da Vinci Xi System across the globe. The company seeks clearances for advanced technologies such as vessel sealing, stapling and fluorescence imaging, which are capable of enhancing the capabilities of the da Vinci Xi system.

As part of this strategy, Intuitive Surgical got the FDA clearance for EndoWrist One Vessel Sealer instrument for the da Vinci Xi System in the U.S.

Intuitive Surgical is trying its best to promote robotic-assisted surgery as an alternative to conventional surgery. The company generates revenues from da Vinci systems as well as disposable instruments that are replaced after each procedure. da Vinci system uses robots, cameras and a remote-control console to perform gall bladder removals, hysterectomies, cardiovascular operations and prostatic surgeries.

Currently, Intuitive Surgical retains a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the medical instruments industry include Alphatec Holdings, Inc. ATEC, Luminex Corporation LMNX, and Masimo Corporation MASI. Alphatec and Luminex sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Masimo carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).