Hearing News Watch

UNITED KINGDOM — Batteries provided to hearing aid users in the UK through the National Health Service (NHS) have been recalled over “low risk of batteries exploding during use or if depleted”, according to a government medical safety alert last month. ZeniPower mecury-free hearing aid batteries, manufactured by Zhuhai Zhi Li Battery Co Ltd, with “best before” dates of 08-2018 and

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — In a strongly worded statement issued on April 13, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) accused the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) of attempting to expand the scope of practice for Speech-Language Pathologists to include audiology services. According to the statement, ASHA’s leadership has recently advocated the inclusion of hearing conservation within the SLP scope of practice to “promote

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be conducting its greatly anticipated workshop on April 21 in Washington DC. The FDA panel will examine topics ranging from the importance of FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) to whether third-party voluntary standards could replace mandatory FDA controls for a new “basic” class of hearing aid as stemming from

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — After a summer trip to India to visit his grandfather and assist him in obtaining hearing aids, Mukund Venkatakrishnan came away feeling very negatively about the entire experience. He then took it upon himself over the next two years to see if he could do something about it. After two years of work, 16 year-old Mukund has created

DENVER, COLORADO — While at a fundraising stop in Denver last week, Hillary Clinton’s campaign was accused of using a “static noise machine” to prevent reporters waiting outside from hearing her remarks, according to Stan Bush, a reporter from Denver’s CBS-4 local news. The event took place outside at the home of Colorado’s governor, John Hickenlooper, who also happens to

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — In addition to HHTM’s very own Dr. Wayne Staab receiving the prestigious Samuel F. Lybarger Award for Achievements in Industry, several other notable individuals will be receiving awards when the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) holds its annual AudiologyNow convention next week in Phoenix.   Jerger Award for Research in Audiology: Ruth A. Bentler, PhD Dr. Bentler is

MILAN, ITALY — According to an April 1 report in Bloomberg, Amplifon SpA has secured financing for a bid for major European hearing aid retailer AudioNova. Amplifon, which owns major US hearing aid retailer Miracle Ear, as well as the Elite Hearing Network, appears ready to compete directly with likely bids coming from major hearing aid manufacturers William Demant and Sonova. Private equity

TOKYO, JAPAN – The NEC Corporation announced that it has developed a new type of biometric identification technology, which recognizes individuals based on the acoustic resonance of the ear, according to a March 7 press release. The technology, says the company, instantaneously measures the unique acoustic characteristics of an individual’s ear in approximately one second. Using an earphone with a

GALVESTON, TEXAS — In a newly published study in the journal Pediatrics, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) have found that ear infection rates among young children in the US are on the decline.  The results, suggest researchers, are likely due to increases in vaccinations and breastfeeding. In the study, researchers followed more than 360 families with infants from 2008 to

TAMPA, FLORIDA — A Florida licensed audiologist was sentenced to 94 months in prison on March 21st, according to a US Justice Department news release, for her participation in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme. According the Justice Department, Terri Schneider, of Lakeland, Florida, was sentenced in the Middle District Court of Florida, where the judge also ordered her