Fitbit is reportedly planning to build ventilators to help treat COVID-19 patients
Fitbit, which makes fitness-tracking wearables, will be shifting supply chain resources to make emergency ventilators, Fitbit CEO James Park said to CNBC. The ventilators will be used to help treat COVID-19 patients and could help bolster the national supply of the medical devices, which have been in need during the pandemic.
“There was a lot of concern about the shortage of ventilators and we realized we had expertise already around the supply chain,” Park said to CNBC.
Fitbit plans to submit the designs for its ventilator to the Food and Drug Administration under an emergency use authorization “in the coming days,” according to CNBC. An emergency use authorization is exactly what it sounds like: it allows a medical device or product that hasn’t been officially approved by the FDA to be used to treat a life-threatening disease.
Park aims for the ventilators to be the “most advanced” emergency user ventilator available for a “lower” cost, but that a price hasn’t been determined, according to CNBC. Most ventilators cost thousands of dollars, and high-end ones can cost as much at $50,000. A Fitbit spokesperson declined to give more details to The Verge.
A number of organizations have contributed manufacturing resources to make ventilators. GM and Ford have offered manufacturing space to some ventilator companies to help them produce more units. NASA developed a ventilator designed specifically for COVID-19 patients; the ventilator received emergency use authorization on April 30th, meaning it can enter production. Phone accessory maker Belkin has developed a single-use emergency ventilator in partnership with the University of Illinois which is under review for an emergency use authorization. And Tesla is developing a new ventilator that repurposes parts used in Tesla’s cars.
Fitbit, which makes fitness-tracking wearables, will be shifting supply chain resources to make emergency ventilators, Fitbit CEO James Park said to CNBC. The ventilators will be used to help treat COVID-19 patients and could help bolster the national supply of the medical devices, which have been in need during the…
Recent Posts
- Paramount Plus’ Mayor of Kingstown season 3 trailer sees Jeremy Renner’s crime boss comeback
- Cloud and AI demand push Alphabet and Microsoft earnings to new high
- JLab JBuds ANC 3 Review: A $60 Alternative to Apple AirPods Pro
- The Morning After: Apple announces an iPad event for May 7
- VMware users warned to brace for next big upheaval as latest Broadcom changes rumble on
Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011