Alesis LLC, the U.S. distributor of the Alesis OSA1™ medical device and headquartered on Florida’s Space Coast in Cocoa Beach, today announced a joint venture partnership with Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep in Mooresville, North Carolina — making it the first sleep medicine practice in the Piedmont region to offer Alesis OSA1, a breakthrough non-surgical treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy.
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Dr. Sever Surdulescu, MD, FCCP, DABSM, quadruple board-certified sleep medicine specialist and pulmonologist at Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep, with the Alesis OSA1™ device at the Mooresville, NC launch reception on April 22, 2026. Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep is the first Piedmont-region practice to offer the FDA-cleared, non-surgical sleep apnea treatment.
The partnership was formally launched April 22 at a well-attended reception hosted by Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep, where Dr. Sever Surdulescu, MD, FCCP, DABSM, the practice’s quadruple board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist, introduced the device to patients and community members. Three representatives from Alesis LLC joined Dr. Surdulescu to demonstrate the technology and answer questions. The event marked the opening of the Lake Norman Sleep Center’s Alesis OSA1 program and the launch of the “No Mo Hose” movement — a patient-led call to action for the millions of Americans who have abandoned CPAP and gone without effective OSA treatment.
THE SLEEP APNEA CRISIS: A DISEASE UNDERTREATED AT SCALE
Obstructive sleep apnea affects an estimated 30 million Americans, yet remains dramatically undertreated. Patients with untreated OSA face an average reduction in life expectancy of seven years, along with significantly elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cognitive decline. Despite these stakes, compliance with CPAP — the current gold standard of therapy — is alarmingly low.
Studies consistently show that 40% to 70% of CPAP patients stop using their devices, citing discomfort from wearing a mask and hose every night, noise, claustrophobia, skin irritation, and difficulty when traveling. These patients have been through the full diagnostic pathway: they received a sleep study, were diagnosed with OSA, had a CPAP prescribed, and even purchased the equipment. Yet they remain untreated and at elevated risk, with no non-surgical alternative — until now.
ALESIS OSA1™: TREATING THE ROOT CAUSE WITHOUT MASKS OR SURGERY
Alesis OSA1 is an FDA-cleared, prescription-only medical device that uses a patented, high-powered non-laser light — photonic lipolysis — to permanently reduce the localized fat deposits in the neck, tongue, throat, and airway that are the leading anatomical cause of airway obstruction in most OSA patients. The procedure requires no surgery, no needles, no anesthesia, and no recovery time. Patients receive six 12-minute in-office treatments over three weeks.
The device is manufactured in the United States by Photonica USA, LLC, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and holds three FDA clearances (K160880, K150336, and K202361), along with 11 utility patents granted in 31 countries. The underlying technology has been FDA-cleared for over a decade with no reported side effects or adverse outcomes.
Multi-site randomized IRB clinical trials NCT06949969 at ClinicalTrials.gov demonstrated that 80% of subjects achieved a 51% to 85% improvement in sleep apnea in just three weeks, as measured by Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI).
ABOUT THE LAKE NORMAN SLEEP CENTER PARTNERSHIP
Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep has served the greater Lake Norman and Mooresville community for decades under the leadership of Dr. Sever Surdulescu, MD, FCCP, DABSM. Dr. Surdulescu is quadruple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care, and sleep medicine — one of a small number of physicians in the region who hold all four designations. His practice specializes in the full spectrum of sleep and pulmonary disorders, and is widely regarded as a regional center of excellence for sleep medicine.
Lake Norman Sleep Center is the first sleep medicine practice in the Piedmont region to offer Alesis OSA1, and the first formal joint venture sleep center partnership for Alesis LLC nationwide.
“CPAP is a life-saving technology for many sleep apnea patients, but a significant number of patients do not tolerate wearing a mask and hose every night. For those patients, Alesis OSA1 offers a non-surgical treatment using a special type of non-laser medical light to shrink fat deposits that interfere with sleep.”
“In clinical trials, 80% of patients achieved improvement in sleep apnea of more than 50%, with some patients seeing an 85% improvement. We are proud to have been selected to introduce this transformative approach to better breathing and sleep.”
— Sever Surdulescu, MD, FCCP, DABSM, Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep
“Our team at Alesis is proud to be partners with Lake Norman Pulmonary and Sleep. Dr. Surdulescu’s team is the best I have ever seen. Working together, we can offer a potentially transformative non-surgical alternative for the thousands of OSA patients in the central Piedmont region.”
“Every person’s body responds differently to therapy. Nobody can guarantee an individual’s results; however, we decided as a partnership to offer a money-back guarantee if the treatment does not improve the patient’s sleep apnea by at least 50%.”
— Terry J. Ward Sr., MHA, Managing Director and CEO, Alesis LLC
PATIENT COMMITMENT: RESULTS GUARANTEE AND FLEXIBLE PAYMENT
Alesis LLC and Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep are committed to making this treatment accessible and risk-free for qualifying patients. The program includes:
- A results guarantee: if a patient’s sleep apnea does not improve by at least 50%, they receive a full refund.
- No-interest payment plans to remove financial barriers to treatment.
- No surgery, no downtime, and no nightly wearable device.
Patients interested in learning whether Alesis OSA1 may be appropriate for their condition are encouraged to visit AlesisOSA1.com.
THE “NO MO HOSE” MOVEMENT
Launched April 22 at the Lake Norman Sleep Center reception, “No Mo Hose” is a growing patient movement recognizing that millions of Americans have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, prescribed CPAP, and still go untreated every night because they cannot tolerate the mask and hose. It all began when Alesis Managing Director Terry Ward told the crowd, “And best of all — no mask or hose… .”
Attendees began spontaneously chanting, “No Mo Hose” — and the movement was born, giving voice to millions of CPAP-intolerant patients and signaling the arrival of a genuine clinical alternative.
ABOUT ALESIS LLC
Alesis LLC is headquartered in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and serves as the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Alesis OSA1™ device. The company is focused on expanding access to non-surgical OSA treatment through partnerships with exemplary sleep medicine practices nationwide. Alesis LLC is led by Terry J. Ward, Sr., M.H.A., who invented photonic lipolysis in 2011 and its application to OSA treatment in 2025. For physician inquiries, contact Terry J. Ward, Sr. directly at 800-248-5051 or visit AlesisMedical.com.
ABOUT LAKE NORMAN PULMONARY & SLEEP
Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep, located in Mooresville, North Carolina, has provided specialized pulmonary and sleep medicine care to the Lake Norman community for decades. The practice is led by Dr. Sever Surdulescu, MD, FCCP, DABSM, who is quadruple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care, and sleep medicine. The practice offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services for sleep disorders, including the newest non-surgical approaches to OSA treatment.
Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding clinical outcomes, patient results, and business expectations. Actual results may vary. Clinical outcomes cited are from IRB-approved trials and individual results may differ. Alesis OSA1 is a prescription-only medical device; patients should consult their physician to determine if treatment is appropriate for their condition.
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