The AARC has been asked by the COPD Foundation to reach out to its members to support and sign a petition addressed to Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and other online retailers to remove low-cost devices being marketed as oxygen concentrations from their websites. The type of devices in question are sold without a prescription and are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
According to a position statement from the COPD Foundation, these devices are “appealing to many, as they are readily accessible without a prescription and at a fraction of the retail cost of approved devices. They are also often marketed with stock images of people using standard oxygen cannulas, as well as stock images of people wearing clinical attire, implying these items are the equivalent to approved medical devices. Comments and (potentially seller-generated) reviews in the retail listings often indicate these units are safe and effective for patients requiring up to 7 liters per minute of flow, leading many to believe these units are appropriate for their needs. However, the technical specifications (which are often obfuscated or difficult to find), reveal that the purity of the oxygen delivered is as low as 30%, an unsafe level far below regulatory standards.”
We ask you to take a few minutes of your time and TAKE ACTION to sign the petition. It asks for these devices to be removed from the market as soon as possible due to false advertising and uncertain safety that pose a danger to public health and safety. If you’d like additional information, we encourage you to view a short YouTube video from the COPD Foundation describing the situation and the importance of signing the petition. We need to do all we can to protect our patients from misinformation that can adversely affect their health. Don’t delay – take action today!
Email newsroom@aarc.org with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Anne Marie Hummel is the AARC’s Associate Executive Director for Advocacy and Government Affairs where she brings her years of regulatory experience in the Federal Government to overseeing federal and state legislative and regulatory policies that impact the respiratory care profession. Check out AARC’s Advocacy menu on our website to learn more. Outside of work, Anne Marie loves interior design, tackling 1000-piece puzzles and spending time with her granddaughter.
