Philips has reached a $1.1 billion dollar agreement to settle claims from about 58,000 consumers stemming from its 2021 recall of home CPAP ventilators and sleep apnea machines. The devices were sold between 2008 and 2021 under the Philips Respironics brand. The terms of the agreement have not been finalized, and settlement payments are not expected to begin until next year. The attorneys at Alex Davis Law Office represent numerous people with injuries from the recalled CPAP machines, and we are pleased that the agreement will allow our clients to receive compensation after suffering serious damages including cancer of the lungs, kidney and liver.
Medical Monitoring and Financial Loss Claims
The settlement includes $25 million for medical monitoring. In addition, Philips is making more than $600 million dollars in payments for economic claims. That will include partial refunds to consumers who paid out-of-pocket to replace their nightly therapy with a different machine. Under the financial-loss settlement, users are entitled to a $100 award if they return their recalled device by August 9, 2024. Much larger amounts will be paid to injured consumers for injuries such as cancer. More details about the settlement are available at this link.
2021 CPAP Recall
Philips’ recall began in 2021 after discovering the sound-insulating polyurethane foam used to line the inside of the company’s CPAP and BiPAP machines could break down over time and cause a range of health problems, including cancer and serious respiratory problems. The individual lawsuits were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Western District of Pennsylvania for the sake of efficiency and consistency.
If you want to learn more about lawsuits involving medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs, call the attorneys at Alex Davis Law at 502-882-6000 for a free consultation.