Johnson & Johnson MedTech Is Changing Its U.S. Surgery Portfolio: What Surgical Professionals Should Know

The products we use in surgery do not exist in a vacuum. Manufacturers change portfolios, facilities adjust purchasing strategies, technologies evolve, and products that have been familiar in the operating room can eventually be replaced or discontinued.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech recently announced one of those changes.

In a customer letter dated February 12, 2026, Johnson & Johnson stated that it is simplifying its surgery portfolio and directing greater focus toward advanced solutions in wound closure, adjunctive hemostats, surgical stapling and instruments, and robotics and digital solutions.

What is being discontinued?

According to Johnson & Johnson, the company is discontinuing U.S. sales of the ENDOPATH™ Electrosurgery PROBE PLUS™ II System and MEGADYNE™ Electrosurgical Generator, along with select PERMA-HAND® Silk Sutures, select SURGIFOAM® Absorbable Gelatine Products and SURGIFOAM® POWDER Kits, Fast Absorbing, Chromic and Plain Gut Sutures, skin staplers and additional surgical accessory/product SKUs, and select MONOCRYL™, VICRYL™ and PDS™ Sutures.

Not every product within those larger product families is necessarily being eliminated. For several categories, J&J specifically describes the change as affecting select products, codes or SKUs. For example, the company says it will retain a streamlined SURGIFOAM sponge portfolio.

That distinction matters when discussing these changes accurately.

When are the changes happening?

For several of the affected product groups, J&J lists an expected final sales date of September 30, 2026, or when available supply is depleted, whichever comes first. This includes the MEGADYNE Electrosurgical Generator, certain MONOCRYL, VICRYL and PDS sutures, select PERMA-HAND Silk Suture SKUs, certain SURGIFOAM products and gut sutures.

The ENDOPATH Electrosurgery PROBE PLUS II System had an earlier expected final sales date of June 30, 2026, or when available supply was depleted. J&J also states that qualifying MEGADYNE generators purchased before September 30, 2026 will continue to receive service, repair and support for seven years from their purchase date.

For skin staplers and some additional surgical accessories and products, J&J references a separate attached file containing specific SKUs and their respective final-sale date ranges. Those individual details are not listed in this customer letter.

This is not a safety announcement

This is an important point to separate from the discontinuation news.

Johnson & Johnson explicitly states that there is no change in the safety or efficacy of the impacted products. The company says customers may continue using them and that support will continue through the products’ labeled expiration dates.

J&J also says it has implemented order-monitoring processes while the transition occurs. Some flagged orders may experience delays while they undergo additional validation, and the company instructs customers to continue using their typical ordering channels.

Why should surgical professionals pay attention?

Here is where the conversation becomes bigger than one manufacturer.

As surgical professionals, we work at the intersection of technology, supplies, teamwork and constant change. A product that has been stocked for years may eventually look different, come from another manufacturer or no longer be available at all.

The manufacturer’s letter does not tell individual hospitals what products they will adopt as replacements. Those decisions will vary by facility.

But professional awareness gives us a better starting point.

When you begin seeing unfamiliar products on a shelf or changes to supplies used in your department, understanding the larger industry context can help you ask better questions and stay engaged in your professional environment.

That is part of learning beyond the textbook.

At For the Love of Surgery, we believe surgical growth includes not only developing technical skills, but also understanding the industry surrounding the work we do every day.

Stay curious. Stay informed. And keep learning what is changing around your operating room.

Read Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s full customer communication here:

Read the original J&J MedTech customer letter

FTLOS provides this information for professional education and industry awareness. Product selection, substitution and clinical-use decisions should follow manufacturer guidance and the policies and procedures of the applicable healthcare facility.