Johnson and Johnson company wins design award

Johnson and Johnson subsidiary Ethicon Endo-Surgery has been bestowed with a national design accolade for its Harmonic Focus product.

The firm was given the Gold 2009 International Design Excellence Award for the research and design of its curved shear – the Harmonic Focus.

Overall, four kinds of research were involved in the development of the curved shear, along with surgeon consultations to highlight unmet needs in thyroid procedures.

Paolo Miccoli, a professor of general surgery and a director at Pisa University, said: “The Harmonic Focus Curved Shear is a truly innovative device that should serve surgeons and their patients well.”

He added that the level of feedback received from surgeons all over the world was “quite impressive” during the prototype testing of the product.

Last week, Johnson and Johnson company Centocor Ortho Biotech, in collaboration with Schering-Plough, announced the approval of their jointly developed product Simponi (golimumab) in the EU.