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Sleep AI (artificial intelligence) company A Sleep has partnered with global French healthcare firm Air Liquide Healthcare to collaborate on everything from screening patients with sleep apnea to post-treatment management. The plan is to first apply AI medical devices for home-based patient management in Korea, then expand cooperation into the European market.
A Sleep announced on the 10th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Air Liquide Healthcare for screening and managing sleep apnea. The agreement was concluded on the 8th (local time) in Paris at the 'Korea-France Innovation Connect' event, held to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France and coinciding with the President's visit to France.
Air Liquide Healthcare is the healthcare division of Air Liquide Group, established in France in 1902. It supports home-based management for 2.3 million chronic disease patients across 30 countries worldwide and supplies medical gases and related services to approximately 20,000 hospitals and medical institutions. Last year, its healthcare segment recorded sales of €4.4 billion (approximately ₩684.92 billion). In Korea, it operates through Vital Air Korea.
The two companies will first apply A Sleep's AI medical device 'AppNoTrack' to Air Liquide Healthcare's domestic home-based patient management system. They plan to collaborate on early detection of undiagnosed patients, streamlining diagnostic procedures through pre-screening before polysomnography, monitoring adherence to CPAP therapy, and supporting long-term patient management.
AppNoTrack is an AI medical device that calculates the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) by analyzing users' breathing sounds using a smartphone microphone, without requiring any additional wearable equipment. When users sleep with their smartphones placed beside their beds, measurement results are transmitted to dashboards for healthcare providers and service operators. It can be used to screen patients at risk of sleep apnea prior to inpatient polysomnography.
The two companies also plan to establish a collaboration model in Korea before expanding into the European market. AppNoTrack obtained CE certification (Class I) under the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in February and is currently undergoing initial validation locally. A Sleep plans to review the applicability of AppNoTrack primarily in European countries where Air Liquide Healthcare operates its business.
AppNoTrack has received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea and has been designated as an innovative medical device, while also securing a non-covered prescription code. According to A Sleep, since its launch in January this year, it has been prescribed at over 600 medical institutions nationwide within eight months. Domestic distribution is handled by CJ CheilJedang.
Lee Dong-heon, CEO of A Sleep, stated, "Sleep apnea is not a disease that ends with diagnosis alone; its effectiveness appears only when treatment is continued to the end." He added, "We will create our first case in Korea with Air Liquide Healthcare, which has been operating home-based medical services in 30 countries, and expand this model to multiple European nations."
[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]
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