What ETHICON does

Ethicon Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson operating within its MedTech segment. Founded in 1889 (incorporated 1992), the company designs and manufactures surgical instruments and medical devices across six core product categories: wound closure, biosurgery, surgical stapling, surgical energy, antimicrobial dressings, and surgical instruments. Its branded portfolio includes the ECHELON surgical stapling line (ECHELON 3000 Stapler launched in 2024 and ECHELON LINEAR Cutter with 3D stapling technology launched in May 2024), SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Hemostat for hemorrhage control, STRATAFIX barbed sutures, BIOPATCH antimicrobial disks with chlorhexidine gluconate, and the MONARCH robotic-assisted platform used for kidney stone removal.

Ethicon serves ten surgical specialties — bariatric, cardiovascular, colon & rectal, gynecology, head & neck, interventional pulmonology, orthopaedics, plastic, thoracic, and veterinary — providing procedure-based products and clinical education to hospitals, surgical centers, and healthcare professionals globally. Distribution is executed through Johnson & Johnson MedTech's direct sales network spanning North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Revenue is generated via direct sale of surgical devices and consumables to healthcare institutions; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The company has been an active M&A participant, having acquired Auris Surgical Robotics for approximately $3.4 billion in 2019 (origin of the MONARCH platform), Megadyne Medical Products (2017), Torax Medical (2017), NeuWave Medical (2016), and Omrix Biopharmaceuticals (2008). In April 2024, Ethicon divested Acclarent Inc. to Integra LifeSciences, while integrating its instrumentation into Johnson & Johnson's OTTAVA robotic surgical system. The company faces material litigation exposure related to hernia mesh and vaginal mesh products, with cumulative industry settlements exceeding $8 billion.

Name

ETHICON

Legal name

Ethicon Inc.

Website

https://ethicon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson MedTech subsidiary, designs and manufactures surgical instruments and medical devices — including staplers, sutures, hemostats, energy devices, and robotic-assisted platforms — serving ten surgical specialties globally through J&J's direct sales network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Surgical Stapling, Suturing & Hemostasis (Staplers, Clips, Sealants, Tourniquets) (HLAHADAL)

Keywords

• Surgical medical devices
• Wound closure solutions
• Surgical stapling products
• Biosurgery hemostats
• Robotic-assisted surgery

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ethicon Inc., a Johnson & Johnson MedTech subsidiary, designs and manufactures surgical medical devices and instruments across six core categories: wound closure, biosurgery, surgical stapling, surgical energy, antimicrobial dressings, and surgical instruments. The portfolio includes branded products such as the ECHELON 3000 Stapler, ECHELON LINEAR Cutter, SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Hemostat, STRATAFIX sutures, BIOPATCH antimicrobial disks, and the MONARCH robotic-assisted platform, serving healthcare professionals across multiple surgical specialties worldwide.

Product overview

ETHICON (a Johnson & Johnson MedTech company) offers a unified portfolio of surgical products and solutions organized across six core product categories: Wound Closure, Biosurgery, Surgical Stapling, Surgical Energy, Antimicrobial Dressings, and Surgical Instruments. The portfolio includes branded sub-products such as the ECHELON LINEAR Cutter and ECHELON 3000 Stapler (surgical stapling), SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Hemostat (biosurgery), BIOPATCH Protective Disk (antimicrobial), STRATAFIX Spiral PDS Plus (sutures), and MONARCH Platform (robotic-assisted surgery). These products serve multiple surgical specialties including bariatric, cardiovascular, colon & rectal, gynecology, head & neck, interventional pulmonology, orthopaedics, plastic, thoracic, and veterinary surgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECHELON: Surgical stapling product line including ECHELON 3000 Stapler and ECHELON LINEAR Cutter
• SURGICEL
• STRATAFIX
• BIOPATCH
• MONARCH

Products and services

• Wound Closure Solutions Solutions designed to navigate tissue complexity and secure each layer with precision, providing optimal healing for every patient. Includes sutures and barbed suture systems such as STRATAFIX Spiral PDS Plus.
• Biosurgery Solutions Versatile portfolio of solutions designed to meet the complexities of a wide range of bleeding scenarios, including the SURGICEL Powder Absorbable Hemostat (oxidized regenerated cellulose) used adjunctively in surgical procedures for capillary, venous, and small arterial hemorrhage control.
• Surgical Stapling Portfolio Market-leading surgical stapling portfolio including the ECHELON 3000 Stapler (2024 launch) and ECHELON LINEAR Cutter (May 2024 launch) with 3D stapling technology demonstrating 47% reduction in staple line leaks compared to traditional devices.
• Surgical Energy Products Surgical energy products for tissue dissection, vessel sealing, and hemostasis used across multiple surgical specialties.
• Antimicrobial Dressings (BIOPATCH) Antimicrobial dressings including BIOPATCH Protective Disk with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) for infection prevention in surgical and clinical settings.
• Surgical Instruments Comprehensive portfolio of surgical instruments for various surgical specialties including bariatric, cardiovascular, colorectal, gynecology, head & neck, interventional pulmonology, orthopaedics, plastic, thoracic, and veterinary surgery.
• MONARCH Robotic-Assisted Platform Robotic-assisted platform used for kidney stone removal, enhancing precision in ureteroscopic and percutaneous nephrolithotomy procedures.
• ECHELON 3000 Stapler Advanced surgical stapler technology representing technological advances shaping surgical outcomes, offering enhanced performance and speed in surgical procedures.
• ECHELON LINEAR Cutter with 3D-Stapling Technology Next-generation surgical stapler incorporating 3D stapling technology with gripping surface technology, designed to reduce surgical risks in procedures where anastomotic leaks pose mortality rates of 10 to 15 percent. Demonstrated 47% reduction in staple line leaks compared to traditional devices.
• Veterinary Surgical Products Surgical products for veterinary applications including sutures and instruments for animal health procedures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 47% reduction in staple line leaks with ECHELON LINEAR Cutter compared to traditional devices

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Integra LifeSciences Holdings CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Integra LifeSciences completed the acquisition of Acclarent Inc. from Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson), expanding its surgical device offerings through Acclarent's ENT technologies.
• OTTAVA Robotic Surgical System (Johnson & Johnson)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2023Johnson & Johnson announced its OTTAVA robotic surgical system will exclusively feature instrumentation from Ethicon Inc. to accelerate the use of polypropylene hernia mesh in robotic-assisted procedures.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Integra LifeSciences: Integra acquired Acclarent from Ethicon in 2024 and competes with Ethicon in surgical instruments, ENT, and neurosurgery, with adjacent portfolio overlap in OR consumables.
• Conmed: Conmed competes directly with Ethicon in advanced energy, electrosurgery, and general surgical instrumentation across minimally invasive surgery specialties.
• Teleflex: Teleflex's Surgical Solutions division competes with Ethicon in surgical clips, sutures, and OR consumables, with significant overlap in laparoscopic and open surgical procedures.
• Applied Medical: Applied Medical is a direct competitor in surgical stapling, clip appliers, and minimally invasive surgical instruments, often competing on price-performance in hospital value-analysis committees.
• Medtronic: Medtronic's Surgical Innovations business (including Signia and Endo GIA stapling) competes directly with Ethicon in surgical stapling, energy devices, and wound closure, serving the same hospital customers globally.
• Intuitive Surgical: Intuitive's da Vinci robotic platform competes with J&J's OTTAVA system and Ethicon's MONARCH platform in robotic-assisted surgery, and competes for the same surgeon adopters and hospital capital budgets.
• Becton Dickinson (BD): BD's Surgery and Biosciences segments directly overlap Ethicon in sutures, biosurgery/hemostats, and other surgical consumables, targeting the same OR customers.
• CooperSurgical: CooperSurgical is a direct competitor in women's health/gynecology surgical products, including sutures, instruments, and reproductive health consumables, overlapping with Ethicon's gynecology specialty.

Broad incumbents

• Olympus Corporation: Olympus's Medical division competes with Ethicon in endoscopy, energy devices, and surgical instrumentation as part of a broader gastrointestinal and surgical portfolio.
• Stryker: Stryker's Medical/Surgical and Endoscopy divisions offer overlapping surgical instruments, energy platforms, and OR integration, competing with Ethicon across multiple hospital service lines as part of a broader medtech portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethicon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethicon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ETHICON