ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent no. 12,329,775 to Soundbites, a Public Benefit Corporation focused on hearing preservation. The patent covers a nutraceutical formulation, known as ACEMg®, which is designed to “preserve or restore hearing” in individuals with hearing loss unrelated to viral infection.
ACEMg is referenced in medical literature and sold under the Soundbites® brand in softgel capsule form. According to the company, the patent claims cover applications related to hearing improvement and cognitive health.
“I have found ACEMg to be of clear benefit for patients. These real changes are clinically important. The significance of this achievement cannot be overstated”
–Dr. Glenn Green, M.D., Kresge Hearing Research Institute at the University of Michigan.
According to the allowed claims, daily dosing over at least three months can improve hearing thresholds by 15% or more, measurable through distortion-product otoacoustic (OAE) emissions across frequencies from 1 kHz to 10 kHz. Additional claims extend the use of the ACEMg formulation to lowering the severity or risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in at-risk individuals with, or likely to develop, sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).
“The new patent is more than a legal milestone—it’s a big step forward for hearing health,” says Barry Seifer, Founder and CEO. “Soundbites has translated 20 years of auditory research into a daily supplement, and this patent safeguards our ability to continue advancing clinically-backed innovation to protect and preserve the ability to hear.”
Sensorineural hearing loss, or SNHL, is one of the most common chronic health conditions worldwide. It affects approximately 1.5 billion people and is often associated with aging, noise exposure, or other non-infectious causes. The company notes that another 1.4 billion young adults between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk, primarily due to high-volume music exposure in recreational settings. Consequences of SNHL can include tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hidden hearing loss. Growing research has also pointed to hearing loss as a potential modifiable risk factor for dementia.
The company states that clinical findings from a two-year, real-world study are the basis for the follow-on, IRB-approved OTIS Study now underway. This 24-week, Phase IV, open-label, post-marketing real-world evidence/real-world data (RWE/RWD) study on ACEMg is being conducted by participants at home.
For more information on hearing health, the ACEMg supplement, or to inquire about participation in the OTIS Study, please visit Soundbites.com.
About Soundbites
Soundbites is a Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to hearing preservation for everyone, changing the convention that hearing loss is inevitable with the world’s first clinically proven, affordable, preventive care biomedicine for hearing. Grounded in decades of research from Dr. Josef Miller at the University of Michigan Medical School, Soundbites offers the first scientifically backed antioxidant supplement, ACEMg, for hearing preservation. Soundbites’ mission is to make lifelong hearing preservation accessible to everyone, reducing the personal, social, and economic burdens of hearing loss.
Source: Soundbites
