A group of 4,000 hospitals and physician groups allege that the devicemaker forces hospitals to purchase expensive maintenance contracts and replacement parts at inflated prices, despite the availability of lower-priced options, according to court documents filed July 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The da Vinci robot, Intuitive Surgical’s flagship system, is designed for a range of specialties including urology, gynecology and general surgery.
The lawsuit alleges that most of the devicemaker’s $4 billion in annual revenue comes from instruments, accessories and service contracts needed to keep the robots operating, according to the report.
Intuitive Surgical is accused of using its robotic surgery market dominance to “restrict competition” in the after-market for services and parts, according to court documents.
The lawsuit is seeking undetermined damages.
