Inspire Medical Systems Inc has received countrywide reimbursement approval in Belgium for its obstructive sleep apnea therapy.

The company’s Inspire therapy is an FDA-approved implanted neurostimulation technology for the treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. 

“The healthcare team at Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) in Antwerp, Belgium, has long been instrumental in the development of Inspire therapy. In fact, the first Inspire implant was performed in Antwerp in 1996 during the early feasibility development phase, and the first implant as an Inspire Medical Systems’ product was performed in Antwerp in 2009,” says Tim Herbert, president and CEO of Inspire, in a press release. “The research team, including both the ENT surgeons and the sleep specialists, have contributed tremendously through research and clinical evaluations, and countrywide reimbursement is the next pivotal milestone for OSA patients in Belgium.”

Inspire therapy received European Conformity Marking for commercialization in Europe in 2010. Since then, procedures have been performed at UZA with funding through internal hospital budgets. This recent reimbursement approval provides a pathway to open additional Inspire implanting centers in Belgium, under the guidance of UZA, while also expanding access to care, according to a press release by Inspire Medical Systems.

“We are excited to be able to expand the offering of the clinically proven Inspire treatment option for moderate to severe OSA to patients and physicians throughout Belgium,” says Olivier Vanderveken, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at UZA, in a press release. “At UZA, we have been focused on the research and clinical evaluation of Inspire therapy for over 25 years, including introducing Inspire therapy as a viable therapy option for OSA patients, and this approval further advances the availability of therapy throughout the country.”