History of ETHICON

ETHICON’s Hertitage in the UK 

ETHICON’s heritage has strong roots in the UK. In 1915, Mr. George Merson, a highly respected Scottish Pharmacist, opened a facility in Edinburgh for the manufacturing, packaging and sterilising of catgut, silk and nylon sutures. Johnson & Johnson acquired Mr. Merson’s company in 1947, and this was renamed ETHICON. As a reflection of ETHICON’s heritage, Merson’s name lives on today in some product brands,such as MERSILK® Braided Silk Sutures.

Today, ETHICON still has a substantial suture manufacturing presence in Scotland at the Kirkton Campus Facility in Livingston. The facility specialises in needle attachment, product packaging and sterilisation and is considered a manufacturing Centre of Excellence within the Company.

Our ongoing commitment to Infection Reduction

With even our most recent innovations, we still adhere to the founding principles of ETHICON’s first products, for example, our commitment to infection reduction.

ETHICON currently supply the only absorbable antibacterial sutures, Coated VICRYL® Plus Antibacterial (Polyglactin 910) Suture and MONOCRYL® Plus Antibacterial (Poliglecaprone 25). ETHICON’s Antibacterial ‘Plus’ sutures prevent colonisation of the suture line by pathogens that most frequently cause Surgical Site Infections (SSIs)1, including MRSA, MRSE and E.coli , and therefore can contribute to a hospital’s Risk Management strategy to manage Healthcare Associated Infections.

ETHICON’s ‘Risk Management’ technology solutions also includes DERMABOND® Adhesive (2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate) Topical Skin Adhesive that forms a microbial barrier that seals out bacteria that can lead to infection, and ETHIGUARD® Blunt Point Needle, which reduces the risk of needlestick injury in surgery for both surgeons and Theatre staff.