Sleep apnea: Philips respirators would present “a carcinogenic risk”


The discontent of patient associations continues to rise in the face of Philips’ inaction. Pointed out for potentially carcinogenic sleep apnea respirators, the Dutch company has not stopped playing the clock since the start of the revelations.

Announced by Philips in July 2021, the recall of the firm’s potentially dangerous devices was minimal.

If millions of products recovered around the world, the Dutch company has only covered 25,000 devices in France in recent months despite an established list of 370,000 respirators sold in France.

At the origin of this massive recall, a sound-absorbing foam present in the devices and which would release chemical particles as it degrades, causing irritation, headaches and potentially having carcinogenic effects.

“The Pick of Breathing”

Philips, which holds the monopoly on the market for these respirators, has angered patient associations by promising to replace all defective devices before the end of the year despite months of dragging out this case.

“It is a health scandal that we are covering up for financial reasons. Philips will become the Mediator of breathing, I say it loud and clear”, lambasted Christian Trouchot, the president of Airas, an association of respiratory insufficiency, on RMC.

The National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) in France recommended continuing the treatment “given the inability of the manufacturer to replace all the machines”. However, this same organization recognized that “in view of the data transmitted by Philips, a carcinogenic risk cannot be excluded”.

This Monday, the ANSM invited all the players in order to advance the file before the end of the year, as announced by Philips.



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