Ethicon is a global medical technology company that specialises in surgical products, wound closure, tissue management, surgical stapling, energy-based devices, haemostasis, minimally invasive surgery, and other surgical technologies. It operates as part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, the medical device business of Johnson & Johnson [1].

The company is particularly noted for its extensive history in surgical sutures. Its heritage traces back to the development of mass-produced sterile sutures by Johnson & Johnson in 1887, while the entity formally became Ethicon, Inc. in 1949 [2].

Ethicon’s current portfolio extends substantially beyond sutures. Johnson & Johnson MedTech describes its offerings as including sutures, staplers, energy devices, trocars, haemostats, interventional ablation, robotics, and digital solutions [1].

Origins: Johnson & Johnson and sterile surgery

Ethicon’s history is closely connected to the origins of Johnson & Johnson itself. In 1876, Robert Wood Johnson attended the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where he heard surgeon Joseph Lister discuss antiseptic surgery. Johnson became convinced that surgical infection could be reduced through better sterilisation and antiseptic practices [2].

In 1886, Robert Wood Johnson and his brothers James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson founded Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. One of the company’s earliest ambitions was to manufacture sterile surgical supplies on an industrial scale.

By 1887, Johnson & Johnson was mass-producing sterile surgical sutures, along with sterile dressings, cotton, and gauze. These products helped make antiseptic surgical practices more practical and widespread [2]. This 1887 milestone is central to Ethicon’s modern identity; the company considers the development of sterile sutures one of the foundations of its more-than-century-long surgical heritage [1].

Formation of Ethicon

A major step occurred in 1949 when Johnson & Johnson formed Ethicon Suture Laboratories from its established suture business. In 1953, the name was changed to Ethicon, Inc. The creation of a dedicated Ethicon organisation allowed Johnson & Johnson to develop its surgical suture business as a specialised medical technology operation.

Ethicon’s development can be understood through several major generations of surgical technology.

1887 — Sterile sutures

Johnson & Johnson began mass-producing sterile sutures made from materials such as silk and catgut. The sutures were processed, sterilised, and packaged for surgical use [2]. This represented an important transition from surgeons relying on locally prepared or non-sterile materials towards standardised, manufactured surgical products.

1960 — SURGICEL

Ethicon introduced SURGICEL, an absorbable haemostatic material based on oxidised regenerated cellulose. It was designed to help control bleeding during surgery [1].

1969 — PROLENE

Ethicon introduced PROLENE, a polypropylene surgical suture. It became particularly important in cardiovascular and other procedures where a strong, durable, and biocompatible suture was required [1].

1970s — Synthetic absorbable sutures

Ethicon introduced VICRYL synthetic absorbable sutures in the 1970s. Johnson & Johnson describes VICRYL as being designed to maintain tensile strength during healing before being absorbed by the body.

1978 — PROXIMATE stapling

Ethicon introduced the PROXIMATE Disposable Skin Stapler, helping establish disposable surgical stapling as an alternative to conventional wound closure in appropriate procedures [2].

1990s — DERMABOND

Ethicon expanded wound closure beyond traditional sutures and staples with DERMABOND, a topical skin adhesive designed for closing certain surgical incisions and traumatic lacerations.

2010s — Robotics and digital surgery

Ethicon increasingly expanded into advanced surgical technology. In 2019, Ethicon acquired Auris Health, a developer of robotic surgical technologies, as part of Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to expand its digital surgery and robotic surgery portfolio.

Ethicon is no longer simply a “suture company”. Its portfolio covers multiple stages of a surgical procedure.

Wound closure

Wound closure remains one of Ethicon’s most recognisable areas. Products and technologies include:

• Absorbable sutures
• Non-absorbable sutures
• Synthetic sutures
• Skin adhesives
• Surgical staples
• Wound-closure systems

The objective is to allow surgeons to select a closure method appropriate to the tissue, procedure, and healing requirements [1]. Some well-known Ethicon-associated brands include VICRYL, PROLENE, MONOCRYL, ETHILON, and DERMABOND.

Surgical stapling

Ethicon develops surgical staplers and related instruments used in a variety of procedures. Surgical stapling can be used for:

• Tissue approximation
• Cutting and stapling tissue
• Resection
• Reconstruction
• Gastrointestinal procedures
• Other open and minimally invasive operations

The development of disposable stapling systems was an important historical step in the evolution of Ethicon’s portfolio [2].

Energy devices

Ethicon also develops energy-based surgical devices. These technologies can help surgeons:

• Cut tissue
• Coagulate tissue
• Seal blood vessels
• Control bleeding
• Dissect tissue

Energy technology is particularly important in minimally invasive procedures, where surgeons need precise tissue manipulation through relatively small access points. Ethicon identifies energy sealing and dissecting as one of its major product categories [1].

Haemostasis and biosurgery

Another important area is bleeding control. Ethicon’s biosurgery portfolio includes adjunctive haemostatic products designed to help surgeons control bleeding when conventional methods such as suturing, cautery, or compression are insufficient or inappropriate. SURGICEL is one of the best-known examples from this part of Ethicon’s history [1].

Minimally invasive surgery

Ethicon has participated in the development of technologies supporting minimally invasive surgery. Its portfolio includes devices such as:

• Trocars
• Access devices
• Stapling systems
• Energy devices
• Instruments for laparoscopic procedures

Minimally invasive surgery generally aims to accomplish surgical treatment through smaller incisions or access points, potentially reducing tissue trauma and supporting recovery.

Ethicon’s modern strategy extends into robotic and digital surgery. The 2019 acquisition of Auris Health was significant because it brought robotic surgery technology into Johnson & Johnson’s surgical technology portfolio. Johnson & Johnson stated that the acquisition was intended to expand its digital surgery portfolio across multiple specialties.

This illustrates how Ethicon has evolved from its original emphasis on sutures and wound closure towards a broader vision of surgical technology. In simplified terms, the progression is:

1887 → Sutures → Wound closure → Stapling → Energy → Minimally invasive surgery → Digital/robotic surgery

This progression provides a useful framework for understanding Ethicon’s transformation over more than a century.

Some of the brands associated with Ethicon’s surgical portfolio include:

Exact product availability and indications vary by country and regulatory approval.

Ethicon is not an independent healthcare conglomerate equivalent to Johnson & Johnson. The corporate structure is broadly:

Johnson & Johnson
↓
Johnson & Johnson MedTech
↓
Ethicon

Johnson & Johnson itself operates across two major business areas: Innovative Medicine and MedTech. Ethicon belongs to the MedTech side. This means Ethicon is primarily associated with medical devices and surgical technologies rather than Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical business.

Ethicon’s importance stems partly from the fact that its products are used in fundamental surgical tasks. A surgical procedure can involve:

1. Gaining access to the body
2. Cutting or dissecting tissue
3. Controlling bleeding
4. Removing or repairing tissue
5. Closing tissue
6. Supporting healing

Ethicon has developed products touching many of these stages. Its historical contribution is particularly significant in wound closure and suturing. Johnson & Johnson’s archives describe the company’s 1887 mass production of sterile sutures as an important development in the adoption of modern antiseptic surgery [2].

Ethicon operates in a highly competitive medical device industry. Its competitors vary by product category and procedure. Depending on the technology, competitors can include companies such as:

• Medtronic
• B. Braun
• BD
• Stryker
• Intuitive Surgical
• Teleflex
• Boston Scientific

Competition occurs across different categories rather than necessarily company-wide. For example, a company competing with Ethicon in surgical stapling may not compete directly with it in sutures or robotic surgery.

Ethicon’s major competitive advantages historically have included:

• More than a century of surgical experience
• A large installed base and global distribution
• Strong surgeon familiarity with established brands
• Broad surgical product portfolios
• Research and development capabilities
• Integration with the broader Johnson & Johnson MedTech organisation

Ethicon’s history parallels the evolution of modern surgery. In the late 19th century, surgical infection was a major cause of postoperative death. The development and mass production of sterile surgical supplies helped support the transition towards antiseptic and aseptic surgery. Johnson & Johnson’s early sterile sutures, dressings, cotton, and gauze were part of this transformation [2].

Over subsequent decades, Ethicon moved through successive generations of technology:

Sterile sutures
→ Improved suture materials
→ Absorbable synthetic sutures
→ Haemostatic products
→ Stapling
→ Skin adhesives
→ Energy-based surgery
→ Minimally invasive surgery
→ Robotic and digital surgery

This makes Ethicon more than simply a manufacturer of surgical thread; it has become a broad surgical technology company.

As of 2026, Ethicon is positioned within Johnson & Johnson MedTech as a major surgical technology business. Its stated portfolio spans wound closure, surgical stapling, energy sealing and dissecting, adjunctive haemostats, access/trocars, ablation, and robotic and digital surgical solutions [1].

Its historical identity, however, remains strongly associated with sutures—a connection that goes back to Johnson & Johnson’s mass production of sterile sutures in 1887 and the establishment of Ethicon as a dedicated company in 1949 [2].

1. Ethicon UK & Ireland | J&J MedTech UK
2. 18 Fascinating Facts About the History of Sutures