Olympus and FlexDex enter into an exclusive distribution agreement

Olympus has entered into an exclusive distributorship with FlexDex, a groundbreaking medical device company that extends intuitively controlled articulation to laparoscopic instruments. Beginning immediately, FlexDex’s Needle Driver product will be exclusively distributed by Olympus in the United States of America. This agreement leverages Olympus’ innovative 3D laparoscopic imaging technology and FlexDex’s wristed needle-driver, with efficient design for intuitive control in minimally invasive procedures across many specialties. The combination technology can provide a suitable alternative to the costs and constrictions associated with a robotic investment.

The FlexDex Needle Driver simplifies suturing in difficult to reach areas of the abdomen through the use of intuitive, articulated movements and rotations. This platform technology employs an ingenious mechanical design to precisely translate the surgeon’s hand, wrist, and arm movements from outside the patient into corresponding movements of an end-effector inside the patient’s body. Combining Olympus’ expertise in minimally invasive surgery and 3D technology with FlexDex’s unique technology for handling surgical instruments – without the complexity and cost of a computer-aided robotic system – will be a game changer for physicians and patients.