Government ends support for four devices in Ventilator Challenge update
The UK government has announced it will be ending support for four devices in the Ventilator Challenge.
Support will not be carried forward for:
- EVA, made by TEAM and Cogent Technology
- Helix, made by Diamedica and Plexus
- OxVent, made by KCL, Oxford University and Smith+Nephew
- InVicto, made by JFD
Among those still eligible for support is the CoVent ventilator from Dyson and TTP, despite James Dyson saying the ventilators were no longer required by the UK government.
Other devices that will continue to be eligible for support include:
- Piran Vent, made by Swagelok
- Veloci-Vent, made by Cambridge Consultants Ltd and MetLase
- Sagentia Ventilator, made by Sagentia
- AirCare, made by BAE Systems
The decision follows a panel of clinicians, including NHS clinicians and the MHRA. The government says this was informed by feedback from testing of the ventilators by clinical experts to ensure that they meet the necessary standards for patient safety and effectiveness of treatment. The criteria also accounts for projections for ventilator demand, the availability of other devices which already have regulatory approval, the performance and clinical usefulness of each device and the progress to date on each device’s overall development.
The government recently announced that 15,000 Penlon Prima ESO2 ventilators have been ordered, the first newly-adapted device to receive regulatory approval in the Ventilator Challenge. Smiths paraPAC ventilators, an existing device, are also being manufactured at scale as part of the Ventilator Challenge.
Two devices are subject to an ongoing review ‘to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the NHS’ - Zephyr Plus, made by Babcock and Gemini, made by OES Medical.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “Since we launched the Ventilator Challenge the ingenuity and innovation shown by so many companies has been truly awe-inspiring and has helped us continue to get ventilators to the frontline and keep capacity ahead of demand.
“Technology and innovation, operating hand-in-hand with the care and dedication of our fantastic health and social care staff, will help us overcome this virus.
“I want to thank every company, and their staff, for their phenomenal achievements in going forward to the next stage.”