Medical equipment maker Philips has reached a $1.1 billion out-of-court settlement in the US to pay claims related to its sleep apnea apparatus.

The payments will go to patients who said they had been made ill by using the equipment or that they may face health problems in future. Philips made details of the agreement public on Monday, at the presentation of its first quarter figures. 

“Philips and Philips Respironics do not admit any fault or liability, or that any injuries were caused by Respironics’ devices,” the company said in a statement.

“The remediation of the sleep therapy devices for patients is almost complete, and the test results to date show the use of these devices is not expected to result in appreciable harm to health,” chief executive Roy Jakobs said. “We do regret the concern that patients may have experienced.”

The provision of some €982 million pushed Philips into a first quarter loss of almost €1 billion. 

In 2021 Philips issued worldwide recall notices for 15 million devices that included polyester foam used to dampen the noise and which was found to have degraded during cleaning, exposing patients who inhaled the particles to an increased risk of cancer. 

More recent versions use polyether foam, which does not degrade in the same way.

Earlier this month it emerged that 1,057 people who have used Philips breathing apparatus because they suffer from sleep apnea in the Netherlands have registered with a law firm representing possible claimants.

Of them, 70 say they are concerned they may have developed cancer because of the problems, the Financieele Dagblad said. However, there are no concrete plans as yet for a law suit in the Netherlands. 

Last year, Philips settled a €575 million claim in the US to compensate patients for the cost of buying equipment which they said was not fit for purpose. 

According to the FD, the total cost of dealing with the sleep apnea affair has cost the company €5.2 billion so far. Six of the 10 court cases are still being processed, of which the most important is the criminal case brought by the US department of justice. Two other cases have been brought by investors who want compensation for falling share prices.