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The ResMed story

Better sleep health for everyone
ResMed is a global leader in sleep technology that has its origins right here in Australia. Our goal is to provide people with the means to awaken their best and enjoy healthier lives by promoting good sleep habits and creating awareness for sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.

  • 1981

    In 1981 Professor Colin Sullivan and colleagues at the University of Sydney developed the first continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, the first successful, non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). After publishing the successful results in Lancet, Sullivan, who had patented the technology, sought a compatible partner to help commercialise this life-changing technology.

  • 1986

    In 1986 he approached Chris Lynch, Managing Director of the Baxter Centre for Medical Research and Vice President of R&D for Baxter Healthcare, who in turn reached out to his Baxter co-worker Dr. Peter Farrell.

  • 1987

    In 1987 Farrell, on behalf of Baxter, invested in Sullivan’s technology to further evolve the CPAP prototype and undertake clinical trials on a group of patients with severe sleep apnea.

  • 1989

    In 1989, after Baxter decided not to enter the sleep apnea market for a variety of reasons, Farrell founded ResMed (short for “Respiratory Medicine”) to buy Sullivan’s sleep technology from Baxter and to commercialise his prototype CPAP device to allow scalable device production – in other words, to bring CPAP to the world at large.

  • After 1989

    Since then, ResMed has delivered on Farrell’s promise: making CPAP masks, CPAP machines and in-home life support ventilators more comfortable, quieter and easier to use.

  • Today

    Today, we help people with sleep apnea, COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases breathe and live better.

 

Today, we help people with sleep apnea, COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases breathe and live better. Our strategy is to change 250 million lives in 2025.

 
changing-lives-with-every-breath
Changing lives with every breath

Operations have grown dramatically over the past 30 years. Awareness about the dangers of untreated obstructive sleep apnea has increased, and we have introduced new, highly innovative, product lines.

With over 10,000 employees and a presence in over 140 countries, the company has been pioneering new and innovative devices and treatments for sleep apnea, COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases. ResMed's world-leading products and innovative solutions, improve the quality of life for millions of patients worldwide, reduce the impact of chronic disease and save healthcare costs.

Michael “Mick” Farrell is CEO of ResMed since March 2013 and Board Chair since January 2023. His father Peter Farrell is ResMed’s founder and Chair Emeritus.