Dutch medical products maker Philips says it has reached a $1.1bn (£877m) deal to settle lawsuits in the US relating to potentially faulty breathing devices.
The settlement is expected to go some way towards drawing a line under a controversial and deeply damaging episode for the company, which has hurt its finances and its reputation.
In 2021, it emerged that foam fitted in breathing machines used to treat sleep apnoea and other disorders could degrade, releasing potentially toxic particles into masks worn by patients.
Philips said it did not “admit any fault or liability, or that any injuries were caused" by the devices.
The settlement was much lower than many analysts had expected, and the company’s share price rose more than 40% after the announcement.
More “kid glove” responses to a company killing people. Penalties really need to be harsher than a simple fine without admitting wrongdoing. My confidence in CPAP machines in general has been shook, but I will never knowingly buy a Philips product of any kind again.
I wish we’d stop taking the easy route and settling these suits too. Litigate them to a guilty verdict and punish them harshly. Otherwise it’s just the cost of doing business ad nauseum.
I dunno, I really like my OneBlade. I think I’ll continue to buy replacement heads for it. Never gonna trust them with something medical though.
Good news is, you don’t have to! Your local hospital has a bunch of critical Philips equipment ready to use when you have an emergency. Heart rate monitors, pathology scanners, CT/MRI machines, defibrilators, and many more are built with the same great quality assurance that your life depends on!