Paris prosecution office investigates Philips ventilators

PARIS (Reuters) - A department of the Paris prosecution office has opened a preliminary criminal investigation linked to faulty Philips ventilators in June, the office said on Thursday, confirming a French media report.

Philips began a major international recall of ventilators and sleep apnea machines in 2021 due to a foam part that might degrade and become toxic, potentially causing cancer.

The probe was launched in June after several French users of the ventilators had filed criminal complaints, the prosecution office told Reuters.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Charlotte van Campenhout; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)