2016 Medtech Company of the Year Finalists: Mazor Robotics

Mazor Robotics

Mazor Robotics will launch its Mazor X surgical robotic system in late October.

Robots have been all the rage in 2016, with a number of new competitors stepping up to give market leader Intuitive Surgical a run for its money. In this increasingly crowded field, Israel-based Mazor Robotics has emerged as one of the standouts.

The company developed the SpineAssist robotic guidance system for spine procedures back in the early 2000s and followed it up in 2011 with the Renaissance Guidance System, which can be used for both spine and brain procedures. This June, it unveiled its Mazor X spine surgery platform, which includes data and analytics features, connectivity, and other improvements over the previous models.

The company also captured the attention of none other than Medtronic, which in May inked a pair of agreements with Mazor: one committing to copromotion, codevelopment, and possible exclusive distribution of Mazor products, and another providing a three-step equity investment in the company, with the first tranche totaling $11.9 million.

The Mazor X will officially launch near the end of October, and Wells Fargo analyst Craig Bijou predicted it will open the door to additional procedures, such as posterial cervical fusions and percutaneous sacroiliac joint fusion. Medtronic, which has already ordered 15 systems, could also join with Mazor to develop implants to be used in conjunction with the Mazor X, he wrote in a research note. 

[image courtesy of MAZOR ROBOTICS]