Covidien has announced that its Japanese subsidiary, Covidien Japan, received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for its Endo GIA reinforced reload with Tri-Staple technology.
This approval extends Covidien's portfolio of advanced surgical staplers and represents a return by the company to the Japanese stapling buttress market.
The newly approved Endo GIA reinforced reload will enable surgeons to deliver an advanced polymer felt material to provide additional support to fragile tissues when deploying Covidien's Tri-Staple surgical stapling technology.
The buttressing material itself is a version of Neoveil felt, developed by Gunze, which has been validated clinically in the Japanese market for more than 20 years.
Covidien Japan president Ryo Noda noted this approval enables Covidien to offer an innovative technology that supports the company's vision of improving patient outcomes and expanding global access to care.
"Integrating tissue stapling with buttress provides surgeons with both greater functionality and efficiency," Noda added.
Covidien expects to begin offering Endo GIA reinforced reload with Tri-Staple technology in the Japanese market in the coming months.