First of UK ventilators wins approval as private sector ramps up production
Regulatory approval has been granted for thousands of new ventilators through the government’s private sector call to arms.
Penlon’s Prima ES02 model is the first to be green lit by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as a part of the “Ventilator Challenge”, a month after the rallying cry was issued.
The government has ordered 15,000 of the new models to add to the 10,000 already in the NHS, with hundreds expected to be built over the next week.
Penlon designed the new ventilator as a part of the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium, which includes Ford, Rolls Royce and Airbus.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove 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.”
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that the NHS will need 18,000 ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, down from a previous estimate of 30,000.
Orders from a consortium of Formula One teams, including Renault and Red Bull, were cancelled this week after failing to gain final regulatory approval.
The government had provisionally ordered thousands of the model, called BlueSky, but had not paid for them.
The Cabinet Office said that “following a reassessment of the product’s viability in light of the ever developing picture around what is needed to most effectively treat Covid-19”.
It added: “We are continuing to work at unprecedented speed with a number of other manufacturers to scale up UK production of ventilators.”