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10/12/2020 | 07:00 CET | Group Announcements

Sonova launches successful Marvel hearing technology for cochlear implant wearers: FDA approval of two new sound processors

Stäfa (Switzerland), December 10, 2020 – Sonova Holding AG, a leading provider of hearing solutions, today announces that its US subsidiary Advanced Bionics LLC has received FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval in the United States for its new Naída™ CI Marvel and Sky CI™ Marvel sound processors. Through the close collaboration between its brands Advanced Bionics (AB) and Phonak, cochlear implant (CI) wearers of all ages can now benefit from the breakthrough Marvel hearing technology. With Naída CI Marvel for adults and Sky CI Marvel, the world’s first dedicated solution for children, AB is introducing two new sound processors. The new offering also includes the Naída Link Marvel and Sky Link Marvel super-power hearing aids for bimodal* wearers; the new Target CI fitting software with industry-first features; and the new AB Remote app for easy adjustments via smartphone. The FDA approval follows the Health Canada approval; TÜV approval for European markets is pending.

 

“We are proud to offer the strong benefits of the proven Marvel platform to our cochlear implant wearers. The new Marvel CI platform is the result of an outstanding collaboration between our cochlear implants and hearing instruments businesses. It is testament to the innovation power within our organization, opening up a whole new world of hearing solutions for cochlear implant wearers of all ages. The launch represents another important step in realizing our vision to enable those affected by hearing loss to live a life without limitations,” says Arnd Kaldowski, CEO of Sonova.

 

With the launch of Naída CI Marvel, Advanced Bionics brings Phonak’s Marvel technology, which has been the most successful hearing aid in Sonova’s history, to benefit their adult cochlear implant wearers. With AutoSense OS 3.0, Naída CI Marvel delivers excellent sound quality and performance in a variety of situations throughout the day. This machine-learning algorithm analyzes the sounds in the listener’s environment every 0.4 seconds and identifies whether the wearer is for example in a noisy restaurant, car, concert hall or at home. It then engages the appropriate cochlear implant system features to customize and enhance the wearer’s hearing experience based on the specific characteristics of the listening environment. Marvel CI is the world’s first cochlear implant sound processor to connect to virtually any Bluetooth-enabled device and to support hands-free calling.

 

Sky CI Marvel combines Advanced Bionics sound processing with the Marvel CI platform. AutoSense Sky OS™ 3.0 works similarly to the adult version in Naída CI Marvel but is uniquely designed for a child’s typical listening environments, providing excellent sound quality and performance wherever the child goes.

 

The Marvel technology has been extended to bimodal-hearing wearers* with the introduction of Phonak Sky Link Marvel and the new Naída Link Marvel. As a bimodal system, these devices wirelessly communicate with each other and feature all of the connectivity benefits of Marvel, including Sonova’s unique universal Bluetooth connectivity and RogerDirect.

 

The new offering comes with the introduction of the Target CI fitting software, which provides hearing care professionals easier fittings with the industry-standard Noahlink Wireless, giving them and their patients the freedom and convenience of cable-free programming. For the first time ever, professionals can program a cochlear implant and the associated bimodal hearing aid with one software in one fitting session.

 

* Many cochlear implant wearers use one cochlear implant and one hearing aid. This is known as bimodal hearing.

 

For more information please refer to the joint media release of the Sonova brands Advanced Bionics and Phonak, which you can find in the Media section of the Sonova webpage at: https://www.sonova.com/en/media

 

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