As the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for ventilators, leading manufacturers worldwide have responded quickly by surging production. However, ventilator manufacturers are still waiting to get regulatory approval for the deployment of ventilators.

As per the latest news, in the United Kingdom, Penlon’s ESO2 medical ventilator has become the first ventilator model to get approval from MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency). Following approval, the company will deliver hundreds of ventilators to hospitals from next week.

The government had already placed a provisional order for 5,000 ventilators from the Penlon, based in Oxfordshire. The company has participated in Ventilator Challenge UK consortium which consists of leading companies like Rolls-Royce and Airbus. Major companies have been helping Penlon to accelerate the production of  ESO2 model. Although ESO2 is a proven ventilator, the company has redesigned it to facilitate mass-production.

As per new requirements, the devices should conveniently switch on and off regularly so that fluid can be removed from patients’ lung – a major requirement for COVID-19 patients. The added requirement has indeed been responsible for the cancellation of one ventilator project, BlueSky, run by the Formula One team Renault and Aston Martin Red Bull.

It has been speculated that Penlon has already revised its ventilator design swiftly to meet the updated guidelines. Dozens of ESO2 devices are already present in hospitals across the nation where they have been undergoing clinical trials. After the approval, the company is expected to accelerate the production quickly and may deliver the hundreds of machines over next week.

As per the sources, Ventilator Challenge UK would be developing 1,500 ventilators per week by early May, including a distinct model, the paraPac developed by Smiths Medical. While these have already made their presence felt at some hospitals, they are mainly being used short-term use during patient transport.

Source Credit - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/15/coronavirus-ventilator-uk-approval-nhs-penlon-regulator