As Royal Philips NV works to rebuild trust after a global device recall, it is investing in new models of access, affordability, and technology to close gaps in sleep apnea diagnosis and therapy across Asia.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration initiated court proceedings against Philips Electronics Australia Ltd. over sound abatement foam used in CPAP machines marketed under the Respironics brand.

To increase diagnosis across Australia, the partnership will see Compumedics Ltd. of Melbourne supply its Somfit devices and electrodes to Philips’ pharmacy-based sleep programs in pharmacies across Australia.

Litigation between companies in the med-tech space often revolves around patents, but the ongoing series of lawsuits between Philips Respironics Inc. and Soclean Inc. are directed toward the interaction between CPAP machines and CPAP cleaning systems.

The U.S. FDA caught up with four makers of CPAP cleaning machines in the form of warning letters advising the manufacturers that the claims made for their systems fall under the definition of a regulated medical device. In two of these warning letters, the FDA said it had been in touch with the manufacturer for at least two years, indicating that the agency has been steadily working on enforcement activities in this space for some time.

The U.S. FDA has received a citizen petition to grant over-the-counter status to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, an oddly timed petition given a recent enforcement action against one of the prime movers in the CPAP space.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices made by Philips Respironics Inc. are still presumed by the U.S. FDA and other regulators to present a health hazard to patients, but the company’s latest data seem to suggest otherwise. In a Dec. 21 statement, the Royal Philips subsidiary said that testing suggests no appreciable harm to health related to particulate matter emissions from the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) foam in these devices, and that there is no evidence of long-term harm associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), both of which are conclusions with which the FDA may not agree.

The FDA issued a rare 518(a) Notification Order to Royal Philips NV last week that requires the company to take more aggressive measures to notify patients, physicians and distributors about the June 2021 class I recall of its continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) systems. The recall stemmed from health risks posed by the deterioration of the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) noise reducing foam in the equipment.

Newly launched startup Somne Inc. plans to give CPAP machines a run for their money by replacing CPAP masks and hoses for treating obstructive sleep apnea with a gentler collar encircling the patient’s neck. The new device uses variable negative pressure to ensure users get a good night’s sleep instead of positive airway pressure employed by companies such as Resmed Inc. and Philips Respironics Inc.

Like so many other ventilator providers in recent days, Resmed Inc. has committed to ramping up production. It aims to triple its ventilator output and multiply its ventilation mask production by 10. But the San Diego-based company’s specialty is not mechanical ventilation that requires intubation, which is most commonly used in the intensive care unit (ICU), although it does produce some of those.