The OxVent group, comprised of scientists, clinicians and medical technology manufacturers from the University of Oxford, King’s College London and Smith+Nephew, has been proud to mobilise quickly in response to the anticipated need for ventilators to support the NHS in treating patients with COVID-19.
The UK government has confirmed that, due to actual clinical need, activity to supply the OxVent ventilator in the UK is to be stopped. That fewer ventilators are needed to treat UK patients is good news. The work that OxVent has put into the project means that if the UK’s requirements change, we will be well placed to assist.
The OxVent ventilator was developed to be produced at speed and scale and at significantly lower cost than alternatives. It was conceived as an open source not-for profit project. The team remains committed to this vision and is reviewing options to make it available in other countries where needs are still pressing.
Professor Mark Thompson, Oxford University, said: "Every member of this outstanding team of engineers, medics and manufacturers has shown determination and drive, overcoming challenges while working at speed with ingenuity and focus. Responding to the COVID-19 crisis, using our talents and resources to the full, is a personal mission for all of us, and we are committed to sharing the resource we have developed with other countries where there is an urgent clinical need."
Dr Federico Formenti, King’s College London, said: “The OxVent team was privileged to be shortlisted from over 5,000 offers of support received by the UK Government in response to the Ventilator Challenge. We are ever so grateful to the successful collaboration across institutions and the entire team who worked tirelessly in the past weeks. The progress made in such a short time is remarkable, and we are engaging with colleagues abroad where the need for ventilators is greater than in the UK.”
Mark Gladwell, President of Global Operations, Smith+Nephew, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the work completed by the team. I would like to thank every colleague who has worked on this programme for their dedication and commitment as well as the many suppliers who have gone above and beyond to support us. It is great news that the UK need for ventilators is less than originally expected and we hope that what we have done together in just a few weeks goes on to make a significant difference in tackling COVID-19 around the world.”
Media Enquiries
For OxVent please contact: news.office@admin.ox.ac.uk.
For Smith+Nephew please contact: smith&nephew@brunswickgroup.com
Notes to editors
The University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the fourth year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation.
Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Latest updates on COVID-19 research at Oxford: http://www.ox.ac.uk/coronavirus-research
King’s College London
King's College London is one of the top 10 UK universities in the world (QS World University Rankings, 2018/19) and among the oldest in England. King’s has more than 31,000 students (including more than 12,800 postgraduates) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,500 staff.
King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), eighty-four per cent of research at King’s was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*).
Since our foundation, King’s students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King’s will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. Visit our website to find out more about Vision 2029, King’s strategic vision for the next 12 years to 2029, which will be the 200th anniversary of the founding of the university.
World-changing ideas. Life-changing impact:https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/headlines.aspx
About Smith+Nephew
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business that exists to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 17,500+ employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global franchises of Orthopaedics, Advanced Wound Management and Sports Medicine & ENT.
Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.1 billion in 2019. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.
For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visitwww.smith-nephew.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedInInstagramor Facebook.
Forward-looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith+Nephew, these factors include: risks related to the impact of COVID-19, such as the depth and longevity of its impact, government actions and other restrictive measures taken in response, material delays and cancelations of elective procedures, reduced procedure capacity at medical facilities, restricted access for sales representatives to medical facilities, or our ability to execute business continuity plans as a result of COVID-19; economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers (including, without limitation, as a result of COVID-19); price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers (including, without limitation, as a result of COVID-19); competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith+Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith+Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith+Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith+Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith+Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith+Nephew's expectations.
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