Top Stories of 2018 and a Salute to Dickens’ Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits with him, Mr. Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. The ghosts in Dickens’ classic…
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GN Hearing Appoints Jakob Gudbrand as New CEO
BALLERUP, DENMARK — The GN Group announced today the appointment of Jakob Gudbrand as CEO of GN Hearing and member of GN Store Nord’s Executive Management, effective as of February 18, 2019. The announcement comes following the resignation of Anders Hedegaard as CEO of GN Hearing in October of this year. Gudbrand comes to GN from a position…
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Cochlear and GN Hearing Announce New, Expanded Partnership
SYDNEY AUSTRALIA & COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — Hearing implant maker, Cochlear, and GN announced today that the two companies have signed an agreement to significantly expand their Smart Hearing Alliance collaboration. The Smart Hearing Alliance was established in 2015 to develop integrated hearing solutions – giving hearing aid and cochlear implant recipients access to the latest…
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Oticon Wins permanent Injunction Against Online Hearing Aid Retailer
SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY — In an announcement to its customers yesterday, Oticon Inc. announced that it has won a lawsuit that the company had brought against the online hearing aid retailer BuyHear.com. According to the message obtained by Hearing News Watch, Hearsite (the owner and operator of BuyHear) has agreed to a Consent Judgement and…
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Giant Retailers are Teaming Up to Change Medical Care, Will Hearing Healthcare Have a Similar Fate?
As Costco continues to gain market share in the hearing aid private market, CVS Health and Lucid Hearing are expanding their presence by opening more retail locations. In addition to this nationwide growth of corporate retail hearing aid centers, Walgreens is testing the waters with a Starkey partnership, and Sivantos announced last week the acquisition…
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Eargo Hearing Aid Secures $45 Million Investment for Product Innovation and Expansion
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA — Silicon Valley-based hearing aid maker, Eargo, announced the closing of a $45 million Series C investment round last week. The company, which has been manufacturing and selling rechargeable, direct-to-consumer hearing devices since 2015, will use the investment for “product innovation, market expansion and branding” According to the announcement, the new investment…
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Another Prominent US Senator Co-Sponsors OTC Hearing Aid Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another prominent lawmaker has joined the ranks of bipartisan co-sponsors for the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, announced her support of the bill originally introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in a press release this week. The…
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UPDATE: OTC Hearing Aid Legislation Merged with FDA Bill, Now “Much More Likely” to Pass
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and International Hearing Society (IHS) learned yesterday afternoon that the Over-The-Counter Hearing Aid Act legislation has now been attached to the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act (MDUFA). According to AAA President Ian Windmill, the MDUFA bill is considered “must-pass” and is scheduled to…
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AudiologyNOW and FTC Workshop Focus on Innovation & Competition
As the month of April draws to a close, as large parts of the country continue to wait for the full bloom of spring, audiologists look back on two recently concluded events. Key topics at both events hold potentially monumental consequences, as government regulatory agencies wrestle with issues related to competition, innovation and consumer access.…
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California Legislation Would Authorize Hearing Aid Dispensers to Conduct Cerumen Management and Tympanometry
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — If a bill recently introduced into the California state senate by senator Cathleen Galgiani (District 05) becomes law, hearing aid dispensers in the state will be allowed to conduct cerumen management (earwax removal) and tympanometry. The bill, SB-198, is said to only authorize cerumen management for hearing aid dispensers under physician and/or…
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