Intuitive Surgical Inc. strengthened its position as the market leader in robotic-assisted surgery in 2025 on the back of increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. Intuitive’s da Vinci system is seeing robust growth in procedures and installations, fueling increased revenues.

Every year seems to introduce novel approaches to litigation when it comes to product liability and other theories of harm from medical devices, and 2025 was no exception. One of the more interesting cases was CLF 007 v. Cooper Surgical, which broke new ground for its handling of non-existent state legal precedent.

The new U.S. FDA leadership has broken with standing agency practice in several areas and in the latest move seeks to cut out the middleman in FDA contracting practices, a development that might aid small firms that are financed by venture capital.

Gene editing technologies are moving forward in preclinical development with innovative strategies designed to treat diseases at their root and even reverse them.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that several Medicare administrative contractors have formally withdrawn local coverage determinations for skin substitutes. There are questions, however, as to whether this will bring an end to excess spending on these products even though the agency has capped the rate paid for entire classes of products.

The level of investment in Europe’s med-tech sector in 2025 did not materialize as many had hoped at the beginning of the year. Reciprocal tariffs introduced by the U.S. government created an uncertain macroeconomic environment, curtailing dealmaking and slowing financing activity. Nevertheless, amid uncertainty, there were some bright spots as medical devices remain essential, and investors know how to navigate market cycles.