New F&P breathing device 'looks like a clock'

F&P Healthcare says the new Icon system is more comfortable for users and looks less like a medical device. Photo / Supplied

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare says its Icon continuous positive airway pressure devices for treating obstructive sleep apnoea have been well received by the New Zealand and Australian markets.

The company yesterday announced the release of the product but it has been selling in this part of the world since December.

F&P Healthcare has applied to the United States Food and Drug Administration for approval of the range. It already sells the predecessor range in the US.

The devices have to be prescribed by a doctor and can cost more than $1000 each. The new range has features that make them more comfortable for users and they look less like a medical device.

"They look like a clock," said Michael Daniell, F&P Healthcare's chief executive officer. "They [sales] have gone well and the reaction ... has been positive."

Daniell said the devices were safe and effective but many patients did not use them for various reasons.

"Our technology can help deal with many of those. For instance, our ThermoSmart humidifies the air so you don't dry out your nose and airways, which can be uncomfortable and cause people not to use it."

The new devices were very quiet and had comfortable masks. A SensAwake feature sensed when people woke up and dropped the pressure to a low level so they could get back to sleep easily.

"It can be difficult for some patients to get back to sleep while breathing against the pressure. The pressure is there to prevent their airway collapsing, which is the cause of obstructive sleep apnoea," said Daniell.

He said existing devices looked like medical apparatus, while the new range sat on a bedside cabinet "and looked like it belonged there".

The devices have a digital clock, alarm and music playing capabilities. Daniell said the company would progressively roll them out in new markets as it received approvals, which it expected to be straightforward, though time consuming.

The company estimated that there were 60 million people with obstructive sleep apnoea and about 10 million of them had been diagnosed.

- NZPA