Intuitive Opens New Commercial Center in Freiburg

Freiburg, GERMANY, Nov. 20, 2019—Intuitive (Nasdaq: ISRG), a global leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer  of robotic-assisted surgery, today opened its Middle and Eastern Europe (MEE) Commercial Center in Freiburg (Breisgau).

The MEE Commercial Center, formerly located in Denzlingen, represents a key part of Intuitive’s continuous growth in this region.

“Surgeons in Germany led the development of several robotic assisted surgical procedures and German companies have played an essential role in the development and manufacture of our products,” said Intuitive CEO Gary Guthart. “Expanding our offices allows us to better serve physicians and their patients in Germany and surrounding countries.”

Germany (Frankfurt am Main) was home to the first robotic-assisted prostatectomy in the world using a da Vinci-system in 1999. Since then, more than 150 da Vinci systems have been installed in Germany and physicians have performed more than 150,000 robotic-assisted procedures, positioning Germany as one of the leading European countries in this field.

There are more than 7,000 employees around the world helping Intuitive bring innovative technology to physicians and their patients. Europe is home to more than 600 of those employees, 220 of whom are based in Germany.

With Intuitive’s acquisition of the robotic endoscopy portion of Schölly Fiberoptic´s business in July 2019, the number of Intuitive employees in Germany increased fivefold.

“Intuitive’s goal is to improve the quality of life of patients through minimally invasive care. Freiburg is an inspiring industrial location and we are proud to open Intuitive’s MEE Commercial Center here,” said Dirk Barten, general manager of Intuitive Germany.”

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About Intuitive
Intuitive (Nasdaq: ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery. At Intuitive, we believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, we expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints.

Intuitive brings more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted surgical technology and solutions to its offerings, and develops, manufactures and markets the da Vinci® surgical system and the Ion™ endoluminal system.

About the da Vinci Surgical System
There are several models of the da Vinci surgical system. The da Vinci surgical systems are designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive surgery. Da Vinci systems offer surgeons high-definition 3D vision, a magnified view, and robotic and computer assistance. They use specialized instrumentation, including a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels and forceps) that are designed to help with precise dissection and reconstruction deep inside the body.

About Ion endoluminal system
Ion is not CE Marked and cannot be placed on the market nor put into service

For more information please visit www.intuitive.com.

Photos of the da Vinci surgical robot systems are available for press use from https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/about-us/press/press-resources.

Media contact
Ulrike Raap
Media Relations & Public Affairs Manager MEE/Germany
Intuitive Surgical Deutschland
ulrike.raap@intusurg.com
+49-172-149-9135

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s opening its Middle and Eastern Europe (MEE) Commercial Center in Freiburg (Breisgau) and its acquisition of Schölly Fiberoptic’s robotic endoscope business. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of the Company’s management and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including the risk factors under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as updated by the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements using words such as “estimates,” “projects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “targeted,” and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

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