Hearing News Watch

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — Sensorion has received authorization from France’s National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) to begin a Phase I/II clinical trial of SENS-601, its investigational gene therapy targeting GJB2-related hearing loss. The authorization, granted August 31 through ANSM’s Fast Track assessment process, clears the company to initiate the HearConnex clinical trial in France. Site start-up activities

BERLIN, GERMANY — Anker, the global consumer electronics company known for its charging products and Soundcore audio devices, is entering the hearing aid market with new receiver-in-canal (RIC) devices powered by its proprietary THUS AI chip. The company announced the move September 3 as part of a broader series of announcements surrounding IFA 2026 in Berlin. According to Anker’s announcement,

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Children with severe hearing loss may benefit from cochlear implantation at younger ages and under broader candidacy criteria than traditionally used, according to a multicenter study led by researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The findings, published in The Laryngoscope, evaluated the safety and effectiveness of MED-EL cochlear implants in infants younger

SHAKOPEE, MINNESOTA — GN has named Robert (Bob) Eastman Vice President of Government Services for ReSound, where he will lead the team supporting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Eastman joins GN with extensive leadership experience across the hearing healthcare industry, including senior roles in business development, managed care, and executive leadership. Most recently, he served in several senior

LYNGE, DENMARK — WSA reported 3% organic revenue growth in the third quarter of its 2025/26 financial year (April 1–June 30, 2026), with revenue reaching €624 million. EBITDA before special items increased 12% to €119 million, while the corresponding margin rose 2 percentage points to 19.1%. The hearing healthcare group also confirmed and narrowed its outlook for the full financial year,

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA — Starkey has been named a recipient of the 2026 Pro Patria Award, the highest honor presented by a state committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The award recognizes Starkey for its support of employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve through workplace policies, leadership, and support for military service members and

RESTON, VIRGINIA — The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) has opened its call for abstracts for the AAA 2027 Annual Convention, scheduled for April 7–10, 2027, in St. Louis, Missouri. The Academy is inviting clinicians, researchers, academic professionals, and others in the audiology community to submit proposals for consideration as part of the convention program. According to AAA, the 2027

Fennec Pharmaceuticals reported continued growth in demand for PEDMARK® (sodium thiosulfate), its treatment designed to reduce the risk of hearing loss associated with cisplatin chemotherapy, as new clinical evidence adds support for protecting hearing without compromising cisplatin’s antitumor activity. PEDMARK net product sales reached $17.1 million during the second quarter of 2026, up 78% from $9.7 million during the same

Toronto audiologist Emilie Vos, AuD, placed second runner-up at Miss Universe Canada 2026, using the national competition to bring greater attention to hearing healthcare, newborn hearing screening and hearing conservation. Vos finished among the top three delegates in the competition and was also named a Top Five Humanitarian finalist and finished among the Top Three in the People’s Choice vote.

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSSETTS — Skylark Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing targeted genetic medicines for hearing loss and other monogenic disorders, announced that the first patient has been dosed in the SONIX Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating SKY-GJB2, the company’s investigational inner-ear-targeted gene therapy for GJB2-mediated hearing loss. “Dosing the first patient in SONIX brings us one step closer to a future