Company: INGN
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-029993
Chunk: 1

Company: Inogen Inc
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 1
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 We believe that our portable oxygen therapy solutions can help patients with chronic respiratory conditions, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

COPD is a group of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The main cause of COPD is smoking, but other factors like air pollution, secondhand smoke and dust, as well as fumes and chemicals can cause COPD. There is currently no cure for COPD, and it is a progressive and debilitating disease that is characterized by a gradual loss of lung function and airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The symptoms of COPD can range from chronic cough and sputum production to insufficient levels of oxygen in the blood and severe shortness of breath. 

COPD has a huge impact on patients and the healthcare system. According to a report published by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies in 2022, an estimated 200 million people in the world have COPD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, in the United States estimates that prevalence of COPD among adults 18 years or older was approximately 6.1% based on CDC data of age-adjusted prevalence of COPD from 2011 to 2021. COPD is a major cause of disability and the sixth leading cause of death according to the CDC. In terms of economic impact, the total economic cost from COPD in the United States was projected to be approximately $49 billion in 2020 with close to 925,000 COPD emergency department visits in 2020.

A peer-reviewed article in the New England Journal of Medicine has stated that long-term oxygen therapy has been shown to help COPD patients who have severely low blood oxygen or hypoxemia. Hypoxemic patients are unable to convert oxygen found in the air into the bloodstream in an efficient manner. Over time it can lead to a lack of oxygen in organs and tissues, known as hypoxia, and acute respiratory failure. As COPD progresses into later stages, patients may need long-term oxygen therapy as part of their treatment. Other diseases including cystic fibrosis or congestive heart failure may lead to lower oxygen in the bloodstream and may also benefit from long-term oxygen therapy.

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Oxygen therapy

Inogen created its first POCs with a goal of creating products that allow patients the chance to remain ambulatory while managing the impact of their disease. Traditionally, oxygen patients have relied on stationary oxygen concentrator systems for use in the home and oxygen tanks