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Thomas Medical is developing Therapnea, a device that treats adult obstructive sleep apnea using an approach that overcomes compliance problems with effective clinical performance.
Therapnea is a stent applied inside the patient's mouth from a dental plate that provides mechanical support for the upper airways to prevent airway collapse. The stent is inserted after the patient is asleep and apnea has started.
Therapnea relies on a method to circumvent the gag reflex that, until now, prevented this approach. In a clinical study, Therapnea was validated as being able to circumvent nausea and the gag reflex in 100% of patients and prevent apnea events after the stent was inserted.
The company's proof-of-concept clinical study has shown promising results. The company is also developing a device to prevent snoring, based on the same technology.