Cochlear market widens in UK

Australian hearing implant maker, Cochlear (ASX: COH) has been given greater access to patients in the United Kingdom covered by its National Health Service.

The company announced that the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence had expanded the criteria that health professionals use when determining who is suitable for a cochlear implant.

The threshold for eligibility has been reduced to equal to or greater than 80 decibels hearing loss (dB HL) at two or more frequencies without the use of hearing aids.

This is a significant change and is down from the previous level of 90 dB HL.

Cochlear CEO, Dig Howitty said the news was a positive change that will empower more people to benefit from cochlear implant technology.

“The UK is a top 5 market for Cochlear with over 900,000 people living with a severe to profound hearing loss,” he said.

“The changes are expected to more than double the number of people in the UK who can now access a cochlear implant.”

The cochlear market is highly regulated by governments with the UK move following recent market widening in Taiwan and Japan that increased cochlear implant sales.

Picture: Cochlear

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