Covidien Ltd., a healthcare products manufacturer, said on Tuesday that its Procedure Kit for laparoscopic procedures was approved by U.S. regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to Covidien's SILS kit for Single-Incision Laparoscopic Surgery, which can be used to perform laparoscopic procedures through a single skin incision on the belly button.

We led the first surgical revolution with multi-port laparoscopic surgery, and we are innovators once again with SILS™, which offers surgeons an immediate advancement in patient care by minimizing scarring and pain said Scott Flora, President of Covidien's Surgical Devices in a press release.

The product will be launched to the market in the summer of 2008. Shares of Covidien were lastly trading 0.77 percent down to $49.12 in the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

Medicine