Government orders 15,000 new ventilators to fight coronavirus after model is approved by regulators
THE GOVERNMENT has ordered 15,000 new ventilators after the first mass production model was approved by regulators.
Boris Johnson had called on British industry to rapidly design and produce new machines that help Covid-19 patients to breathe.
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The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has now approved the Penlon Prima ES02 for hospital use. It follows extensive testing over the past fortnight to ensure the devices are safe and effective.
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the government wants to increase ventilator stocks from around 10,000 to 18,000. It follows concerns that the county does not have enough to meet an expected surge in critically ill patients.
Ministers have now ordered 15,000 of the new Penlon devices, with the first 40 dispatched yesterday [THU].
Hundreds are expected to be built over the next week, with production ramping up after that.
Penlon was part of the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium, which also included Ford, Siemens and Formula 1 teams. All responded to the Prime Minister’s plea to boost the supply of machines.
Tory minister Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “The approval of Penlon’s device underlines the significant progress being made in the Ventilator Challenge."
“I pay tribute to the incredible ingenuity and commitment of our manufacturing industry, coming together as part of the national effort to protect the NHS and save lives.”
'RAMP UP OF PRODUCTION'
Dick Elsy, chair of the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium, said: “I’m very pleased to confirm that we have now secured MHRA approval for the Penlon Prima ESO2 device which has been undergoing stringent testing and clinical trials for the last two weeks."
“Ventilators of this type are complex and critical pieces of medical equipment so ensuring the absolute adherence to regulatory standards and meeting clinical needs were always our priorities."
“We will now accelerate the ramp up of production at the Penlon site in Oxfordshire and the new VCUK production lines we’ve built in Broughton, Dagenham, Woking and Maidenhead."
“I want to take this opportunity to again thank every member of the consortium and the hundreds of dedicated colleagues who have been working day and night to get us to this point.”
It comes as the University of Warwick announced a new NHS trial to establish the best way of giving coronavirus patients oxygen. They hope to find effective alternative solutions for patients with Covid-19 to reduce the need for treatment with a ventilator.
Other options include masks and tubes through the nose. Patients admitted to NHS hospitals will be able to join the trial.
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The ventilator is based on an existing design but some of its components have been tweaked to enable it to be mass produced at speed. The design had to be changed again when the government changed the specification given to firms involved in the project.
The new requirements mean the devices must be easy to switch on and off regularly so fluid can be drained from patients’ lungs.
It is understood firms will be protected from the cost of any legal claims arising from personal injury caused by faulty machines.
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