Apple is continuing to bolster its profile in the medtech space, this time through Australian cochlear implant maker Cochlear Limited. The medical device business is launching the first implant sound processor made for iPhones, iPads and iPods in September after receiving clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June.
Sound processors send signals to the electrodes in a cochlear implant that has been surgically placed in the inner ear, or cochlea, for people who are hard-of-hearing.
The Cochlear Nucleus Implant users can stream sound from a compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch directly to their sound processor, Cochlear Ltd said in a press release. The sound processor is an external device that interacts with a cochlear implant. A companion app also includes components to alert parents when it has fallen off a child’s head and to help them locate it.
Cochlear Ltd Nucleus 7 Sound Processor
Jan Janssen, senior vice president with Cochlear Ltd’s Research and Development team said the ability to use an iPhone or iPod touch to control its hearing solution is a “remarkable technological step forward”.
Although 360 million are affected by disabling hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization, a little less than one-third could be helped by cochlear implants.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Cochlear, which has U.S. headquarters near Denver, Colorado, developed a cloud based product in 2015 — Cochlear Link — to store patients’ unique hearing profiles. The idea is to restore these sound profiles when sound processors get lost within 24 hours, rather than facing the burden of getting one’s sound profile rebooted by specialists — a process that can take days or weeks.
The collaboration with Cochlear is an example of how Apple has been ramping up its medtech profile. Last year, Apple advertised for several medtech jobs. It added ResearchKit to support clinical trials. The company has also worked with medtech businesses like AliveCor to integrate their technology with its Apple Watch.
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