Intuitive Surgical Gets FDA Clearance For Advanced Energy Surgical Instrument: Retail Sentiment Improves

Biotech company Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) on Thursday said that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Vessel Sealer Curved, making it the first of the company’s advanced energy instruments to receive FDA clearance for the transection of lymphatic vessels.

Vessel Sealer Curved is a fully wristed, advanced bipolar electrosurgical instrument designed to seal, cut, grasp, and dissect tissue. It offers enhanced multifunctionality and precision via its slim, curved jaw, helping improve visibility and control, especially in tight spaces and around critical structures.

Iman Jeddi, a senior executive at Intuitive, said that the company designed the instrument to give surgeons greater precision in narrow anatomical spaces. The instrument is for use with the company’s multiport da Vinci robotic surgical systems, designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery and offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance.

The FDA cleared Vessel Sealer Curved for grasping and blunt dissection of tissue, as well as bipolar coagulation and mechanical transection of blood vessels up to 7mm in diameter, lymphatic vessels, and tissue bundles that fit within the instrument’s jaws.

It is not indicated for tubal sterilization or tubal coagulation for sterilization procedures.

According to Intuitive, surgeons have performed nearly 17 million procedures using the California-headquartered company’s da Vinci systems. There are over 8,600 Da Vinci systems around the world across 71 countries.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around ISRG jumped from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours while message volume remained at ‘low’ levels.

According to data from Koyfin, 22 of 33 analysts covering the stock rate it ‘Buy’ or higher, while nine rate it a ‘Hold’ and two rate it ‘Sell’ or lower. The stock has an average price target of $578.35, implying a near 10% upside to its current trading levels.

ISRG stock is up by about 1% this year and by about 19% over the past 12 months.

Read Next: Moderna’s Covid Vaccine Gets Full FDA Approval For Use In Children 6 Months And Older

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.