SAN MATEO, CA—Sonitus Medical, Inc., manufacturer of the only non-surgical and removable hearing device that transmits sound via the teeth, announced this week that it has closed a $25 million Series D round of venture capital funding. Several investors took part, led by Abingworth, an international investment group dedicated exclusively to the life sciences and healthcare sector.
The Sonitus Medical SoundBite™ Hearing System makes novel use of the established principle of bone conduction to imperceptibly transmit sound via the teeth, thereby replacing the function of the impaired ear. The system, which is barely visible when in place, consists of an easily inserted and removed ITM (in-the-mouth) hearing device, which is custom made to fit around either the upper left or right back teeth, and a small microphone unit worn behind the ear. No modifications to the teeth are required.
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Sonitus’s product as a prosthetic device for the treatment of single-sided deafness and conductive hearing loss. Intended future applications for the technology include treatment of mixed hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as consumer and covert communications.
The company is now marketing the SoundBite system in the U.S. with plans to rapidly expand availability.
Amir Abolfathi, the CEO, said, “We view this financing as validation of both the ear nose and throat market and Sonitus Medical’s emerging leadership in the bone conduction hearing device category.”
