State of MedTech

US Surgical: VP of R&D Kurt Azarbarzin on Scaling Product and Innovation of a Billion Dollar Empire

The interview with Kurt Azarbarzin, US Surgical’s longtime VP of R&D, chronicles how the company grew from a modest stapler maker in the early 1980s into a multi‑billion‑dollar empire that helped define modern laparoscopic surgery. Azarbarzin describes the shift from open staplers to laparoscopic instruments, crediting marketing chief Lee Cohen for convincing Leon Hirs to fund high‑volume laparoscopic products. A dedicated pilot‑manufacturing line allowed the team to launch new devices—graspers, dissectors, multi‑fire clip appliers—every two to three months, while R&D and marketing jointly fought for funding. He emphasizes that “Ethicon were followers, not innovators,” highlighting US Surgical’s first‑to‑market clip applier and hernia devices. He also calls the later diversification into sutures “the biggest mistake,” which drained talent and resources away from the fast‑growing laparoscopy platform. The story underscores that relentless focus, surgeon‑centric partnerships, and an agile production model can sustain market leadership, while unfocused expansion into adjacent categories can erode competitive advantage—a cautionary tale for med‑tech CEOs and investors.