Asensus Surgical, Inc. Announces Sapporo Medical University Hospital in Japan to Initiate Senhance Robotic Surgery Program

Sapporo Medical University Hospital to become 5th Senhance hospital in Japan

Asensus Surgical, Inc. (NYSE American: ASXC), a medical device company that is digitizing the interface between the surgeon and the patient to pioneer a new era of Performance-Guided Surgery™, today announced Sapporo Medical University Hospital, located in Hokkaido, Japan, has entered into an agreement to lease and utilize a Senhance® Surgical System.

“The Department of Surgery, Surgical Oncology and Science at Sapporo Medical University Hospital is an outstanding institution which is well known for utilizing the most advanced surgical technologies, and we are very excited to partner with them to expand their existing surgical robotics program,” said Anthony Fernando, Asensus Surgical President and CEO. “Japan remains a focus market for Senhance. With a dedicated training center and a growing number of active systems at prestigious institutions, we expect to further accelerate adoption in the region in the future.’’

Asensus Surgical's technology platform, Senhance Surgical System, is the first of its kind digital laparoscopic platform that leverages augmented intelligence to provide unmatched performance and patient outcomes through machine learning. Senhance goes beyond the typical surgical robotic systems, providing surgical assurance through haptic feedback, eye-tracking camera control, and 3D visualization, and is the first platform to offer 3 mm instruments (the smallest instrument available in the world on a robotic surgical platform). The Senhance Surgical System is powered by the Intelligent Surgical Unit™ (ISU™). The ISU enables machine vision-driven control of the camera for a surgeon by responding to commands and recognizing certain objects and locations in the surgical field, and allows a surgeon to change the visualized field of view using the movement of their instruments.

“We are highly focused on integrating state-of-the-art medical technologies into our hospital to provide our patients with the best possible outcomes,” said Professor Dr. Ichiro Takemasa, Chairman of Surgical Oncology and Science. “We have run a successful robotics program at Sapporo for a number of years, and believe the Senhance is a great addition to that program which will expand the scope of procedures in which we can utilize robotics with and brings incremental surgical intelligence that we don’t have access to with our other systems.’’

About Sapporo Medical University Hospital

Sapporo Medical University Hospital has facilities in 29 clinical divisions and 932 inpatient beds. It provides advanced, state-of-the-art medical care, such as emergency medical care, cancer treatment and regenerative medicine, and also plays a significant role as a medical institution that assists the development of local medical services and accepts patients from remote areas in Hokkaido in cases of disasters. In 1996, the hospital was certified as an advanced treatment facility capable of providing advanced medical treatment, developing medical technologies, and offering training. In 2002, Hokkaido’s first advanced emergency medical care center was established within the hospital to accept critical emergency patients and provide advanced specialized medical treatment. In 2016, it was certified as the first tour facility to perform colorectal cancer surgery by a robot in northern Japan and has a dedicated robotic operating room. The hospital also functions as an AIDS treatment core hospital (HIV Hokkaido Regional Hospital), a core disaster medical hospital, the Hokkaido Rehabilitation Support Center, and a regional cancer center.

About Asensus Surgical, Inc.

Asensus Surgical, Inc. is digitizing the interface between the surgeon and patient to pioneer a new era of Performance-Guided Surgery by unlocking clinical intelligence for surgeons to enable consistently superior outcomes and a new standard of surgery. This builds upon the foundation of Digital Laparoscopy with the Senhance Surgical System powered by the Intelligent Surgical Unit (ISU) to increase surgeon control and reduce surgical variability. With the addition of machine vision, augmented intelligence, and deep learning capabilities throughout the surgical experience, we intend to holistically address the current clinical, cognitive and economic shortcomings that drive surgical outcomes and value-based healthcare. Learn more about Performance-Guided Surgery and Digital Laparoscopy with the Senhance Surgical System here: www.senhance.com. Now available for sale in the US, EU, Japan, Russia, and select other countries. For a complete list of indications for use, visit: www.senhance.com/indications. For more information, visit www.asensus.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements relating to the Senhance Surgical System and Sapporo Medical University Hospital initiating a program with the Senhance System. These statements and other statements regarding our future plans and goals constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict, are beyond our control and which may cause results to differ materially from expectations and include whether Asensus will be able to further expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and whether the Senhance Surgical System will be a great addition to the robotics program at Sapporo Medical University Hospital . For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with the Company’s business, please review our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 11, 2021 and our other filings we make with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which are based on our expectations as of the date of this press release and speak only as of the origination date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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