Smith & Nephew Acquires Brainlab Orthopaedic Joint Reconstruction Business

Brainlab, the global pioneer of software-driven medical technology, and Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, announce that Smith & Nephew has agreed to acquire the Brainlab orthopaedic joint reconstruction business.

The acquisition supports Smith & Nephew’s strategy to invest in best in class technologies that further its multi-asset digital surgery and robotic ecosystem. The acquisition and strategic collaboration allow both companies to accelerate research and development in the areas of digital surgery and augmented reality.

The Brainlab orthopaedic joint reconstruction business provides surgeons with digital workflow tools, from pre-operative planning to intraoperative navigation to postoperative evaluation and sharing. Used in over 40,000 orthopaedic cases¹ each year at more than 500 accounts worldwide, the technology helps maximise precision and reproducibility and achieve desired outcomes for patients and surgeons. The transaction also includes certain intangible assets as well as the orthopaedic Brainlab salesforce, which will be integrated into the Smith & Nephew robotics commercial organisation, supporting the acceleration of this business.

Smith & Nephew and Brainlab will collaborate in developing applications in orthopaedic reconstruction and sports medicine, with opportunities to expand into other surgical specialties thereafter. The partnership offers Smith & Nephew access to a broad range of Brainlab technologies in cloud computing, tracking, augmented reality, robotics, AI, machine learning, image fusion, and anatomical segmentation. The combined competencies will result in a powerful digital ecosystem from which ground-breaking clinical solutions can emerge, bolstering Smith & Nephew’s technology base for robotics. Brainlab will benefit from deploying its digital surgery products to the ambulatory surgery market through the broad Smith & Nephew distribution network. By working together, the companies will provide an exciting upgrade path with more capabilities for both Brainlab and Smith & Nephew customers.

“Computer-assisted surgery is the foundation of any powerful robotic solution and sophisticated software will drive superior robotic applications,” said Stefan Vilsmeier, President and CEO, Brainlab. “I’m excited about co-inventing the future of digital surgery with our new partner, and expanding the reach of our technology to ambulatory surgery centers and their patients.”

“This partnership with Brainlab is a critical driver of our digital surgery and robotic ecosystem,” said Namal Nawana, CEO of Smith & Nephew. “Together we will drive the development and adoption of digital technologies to dramatically improve efficiency and outcomes in the OR.”