How Lincare Cashed In on the Disastrous Recall of Philips Breathing Machines — at the Expense of Patients
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For users of breathing machines made by Philips Respironics, recent years have been a nightmare in multiple acts. First came complaints of illnesses and injuries caused by the devices. Then came reports of deaths. Then came a large-scale recall that itself was beset by problems.
Now ProPublica has learned of another episode. As Philips struggled to execute its recall in 2022, it turned to its biggest distributor, a company called Lincare, to help ensure that replacement equipment would reach the patients who needed it most. But instead of sending those machines to vulnerable longtime users — what Philips expected — Lincare diverted thousands of machines to new customers, which resulted in greater profits. Some patients did not receive replacement breathing machines for as long as two years. Meanwhile, complaints to the FDA reporting deaths (561) and illnesses, injuries or malfunctions (116,000) associated with the recalled devices continued to climb.
Philips’ problems first surfaced publicly in June 2021, when the company warned that the noise-deadening foam lining its equipment, mostly CPAP machines, could break apart, sending potentially toxic particles and fumes into users’ throats and lungs. (Millions of people use such “continuous positive airway pressure” devices to treat sleep apnea, a condition that causes breathing to stop and start repeatedly during the night.)
