Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The Swiss medtech start-up Distalmotion has secured 150 million dollars to accelerate the entry of its Dexter surgical robot in the United States and an expanded use in Europe. The platform combines laparoscopy and robotics for minimally invasive care.
Medtech company Distalmotion developed the surgical robot Dexter (© Distalmotion).
Entry into the U.S. market
The private equity investor Revival Healthcare Capital led the first closing of the 150-million-dollar financing round for Dexter. This substantial investment will pave the way for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and accelerate the expansion of clinical experience with the surgical robot in Europe.
“This latest financing sets the stage for Distalmotion to accelerate our mission of expanding the adoption of Dexter to hospitals worldwide,” said Rick Anderson, Chairman of Revival and Chairman of Distalmotion.
The robotic platform is already in day-to-day clinical use in Europe, successfully treating patients across a multitude of complex and high-volume procedures in general surgery, gynecology, and urology.
On-demand robotics
“Dexter allows for ‘on-demand robotics’ and gives surgeons access to the benefits of both robotic and laparoscopic surgery, enabling best-in-class minimally invasive care for the patients,” explained CEO Michael Friedrich. “Surgeons can choose to operate entire procedures robotically, or they can leverage the ability to easily switch between the robotic and laparoscopic modalities to perform specialized tasks such as stapling with their preferred and trusted instruments. Surgeons are therefore empowered with choice and control.”
Dexter makes robotic surgery more accessible, enabling wider adoption of robotic surgery. It is easily integrated into clinical practice – it requires no additional infrastructure, it fits into every clinical setting, and it is mobile allowing for easy sharing across departments. This empowers institutions to scale robotics programs across surgical disciplines to offer more patients an enhanced standard of care in both hospital and surgery center settings.
First surgery in 2021
“Dexter delivers what surgeons need most when it matters most. It provides advanced dexterity for complex surgical steps such as suturing, dissection, and working in confined spaces” said Prof. Dieter Hahnloser, head of colorectal surgery at Lausanne University Hospital who performed the first general surgery procedure with Dexter in 2021. “It is compatible with all 3D laparoscopes which allows surgeons to leverage current and future imaging innovations.”
Distalmotion is a medical device company founded and based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its mission is to establish a new standard of care, where all patients in general surgery, gynecology, and urology have access to best-in-class minimally invasive care. The surgical robot Dexter was designed and developed in Switzerland and is being manufactured there. Dexter is the world’s first and only on-demand robotic surgery system.
Text: Distalmotion (Editing by SCCIJ)
