The UK government has requested 15,000 Penlon Prima ES02 ventilators following approval of the system by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Penlon worked with the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium, which includes manufacturing companies, as well as the seven UK-based Formula 1 teams operating under the Project Pitlane moniker.
Demand for ventilators has increased amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as patients suffering from the virus typically develop breathing difficulties.
Extensive testing of Penlon’s Prima ES02 model was carried out in hospitals, to ensure its safety and effectiveness, and on Thursday an order of 15,000 was confirmed.
Hundreds are expected to be built over the next week while production is going to be ramped up over the coming days.
The first dispatch of 40 Penlon devices is to be sent to MOD Donnington and will be delivered to NHS units imminently.
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.”
Mercedes High Performance Powertrains this week completed an order of 10,000 CPAP breathing devices that were developed in conjunction with University College London.
McLaren Group has been involved in producing personal protective equipment while Red Bull and Renault collaborated to assist with the BlueSky ventilator project that was halted when government understanding of the coronavirus requirements took a different direction.
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