Philips files lawsuit against lab in US that tested sleep apnea devices

This article was last updated on August 8, 2024

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Philips files lawsuit against lab in US that tested sleep apnea devices

Philips files a lawsuit in the United States against a laboratory that tested the company’s sleep apnea devices. According to Philips, the laboratory overestimated the health risks of using the devices.

The laboratory concluded that a carcinogenic gas and another hazardous substance were released when using the device. This conclusion partly led to the recall of more than five million devices. The recall cost Philips more than a billion.

Other laboratories did not detect the carcinogenic gas and concluded that the hazardous substance was within the range of safe use. According to these laboratories, it is unlikely that use of the apnea devices will lead to an increased health risk. And so, Philips says, the drastic recall would not have been necessary.

Lab denies

Philips wants to recover part of the costs of the recall from the laboratory, PSN Labs in the state of Pennsylvania. That company would deny that any mistakes were made. It is not yet clear when the case will go to trial in Pennsylvania.

In recent years, thousands of reports have been received by the American regulator FDA of problems in patients that may be associated with the use of sleep apnea devices from Philips. More than a hundred of those cases involved a death.

Philips has always said that there is no conclusive evidence of a link between the complaints and the use of the apnea devices.