Users of Philips apnea devices come to court to access documents

The Norwegian Refugee Council wrote that hundreds of users of Philips apnea devices have gone to court. They want to force the Department of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS) to release confidential documents about the controversial devices.

Personal injury attorney Mark de Heck has been trying to obtain the documents since last year. “More than six hundred users I help, but also another 85,000 users in the Netherlands, are very interested in getting these documents quickly. People are anxious, anxious and have emotional problems. They want to know what’s wrong with the device they depend on and potentially life-threatening.”

It concerns a thousand documents, including research reports, risk analyzes and correspondence between Phillips and the ministry.

Philips warned in June last year of hardware problems. Users are still unsure about the ongoing Philips investigation. It should provide a definitive answer about the safety of the foam that may cause health problems
Such as asthma, inflammatory reactions and cancer. The worldwide recall will cost Philips close to one billion euros. Some patients tell NRC that they do not have a new device yet.

The paper reported that there were already problems with the foam in apnea devices in 2016, but it took five years before Phillips came out with them. Patients want to know what the ministry knows about it. “A ministry that pretends to advocate for public health and well-being should be more effective in the fate of these people,” says de Heck. “It’s sad that Phillips and the Department of Health, Care and Sports have left these people out in the cold for over a year by not releasing these documents.”

Phillips does not make any material statements about the ongoing investigation, and the company informs the newspaper. However, she does apologize for the uncertainty that has arisen. “We are doing our best to provide a solution to all patients as quickly as possible.”