Cochlear introduces the world's first Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor

The Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor is the world's first Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor to allow users to stream sound from iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® directly to their sound processor, offering greater accessibility, connectivity and wireless solutions

Centennial, Colo. (July 26, 2017) - Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, introduces today its latest innovation, the Cochlear™ Nucleus 7 Sound Processor. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June, the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is the world's first Made for iPhone cochlear implant sound processor and the smallest and lightest behind-the-ear cochlear implant sound processor available on the market1-3.

With the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, people with a Cochlear Nucleus Implant can now stream sound directly from a compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch directly to their sound processor*4,5. They will also be able to control, monitor and customize their hearing on their iPhone or iPod touch through the Nucleus® Smart App available to download for free from the App Store®.

There are 360 million people living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, and this figure is set to more than triple to 1.2 billion by 20506,7. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 72 million people who could potentially benefit from the use of a hearing device including a cochlear implant or hearing aid8.

Chris Smith, Cochlear Chief Executive Officer and President, welcomes the FDA approval of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, explaining that Cochlear is proud to give people with moderate to profound hearing loss access to mobile technology like never before.

"The approval of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is a turning point for people with hearing loss, opening the door for them to make phone calls, listen to music in high-quality stereo sound, watch videos and have FaceTime® calls streamed directly to their cochlear implant," explains Smith. "This new sound processor builds on our long-standing commitment to help more people with hearing loss connect with others and live a full life."

The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor offers a range of features with the Nucleus Smart App, exclusively available for iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store. The new Hearing Tracker feature records coil-offs time (each time the sound processor coil does not detect the implant coil, such as if it has fallen off a child's head) and time in speech (which measures the amount of time spent in speech environments in hours, including FM and streaming)5. The Find My Processor feature of the Nucleus Smart App helps locate a lost sound processor by using Location Services to determine the last place the sound processor was connected to the paired iPhone or iPod touch, whether it has been lost on the playground, in the house or in the car.

"Technology that offers greater connectivity seeks to make life easier for people with hearing loss," said Laurel Mahoney, Clinical Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at NYU Langone Health. "The advancements provided by the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor give parents more control and allow them to better monitor their child's hearing while adults and teenagers will be able to stream music and make FaceTime calls just like their hearing friends and family."

With the commercial availability of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, Cochlear is also offering the first Made for iPhone Smart Bimodal Solution (the combination of a cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aid in the other), enabling both hearing solutions to provide synchronized streaming to both ears from a compatible iPhone, iPad or iPod touch4. The Nucleus 7 Bimodal Solution is delivered by using a Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, a compatible ReSound™ hearing aid and a paired iPhone or iPod touch to control functionality for both hearing devices4.

"The ability to control both hearing solutions through an iPhone or iPod touch and provide a seamless hearing experience between them is a remarkable technological step forward," said Jan Janssen, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Cochlear. "At Cochlear, we design devices to give recipients greater flexibility to personalize their settings and manage their hearing loss on a daily basis, and these new solutions offer that experience like never before."

The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is 25 percent smaller and 24 percent lighter than the previous generation Nucleus 6 Sound Processor3. It also features Cochlear's industry-leading SmartSound® iQ with SCAN** and dual microphone technology, helping people to hear more clearly in any environment9. From a busy restaurant to outdoors in blustering wind, the technology prioritizes voices over background sounds in a noisy environment. A new processing chip also delivers more efficient processing without compromising battery life, meaning users may enjoy up to 50 percent longer battery life than the previous generation behind-the-ear sound processor10.

Commercial availability for the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor is expected in September 2017 in the United States and Canada for those who are looking to receive a cochlear implant. The Nucleus 7 Bimodal Solution is expected in September 2017 only in the United States for those who are looking to receive a cochlear implant. In the United States and Canada, the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor will be available as an upgrade in October 2017 for current recipients with the following internal cochlear implants: Nucleus CI24RE, CI500 and Profile Series Implants.

Today more than 450,000 people around the world can hear thanks to Cochlear's technology11. The company's cochlear implants are the most reliable in the industry, which is one of many reasons why more people choose a Cochlear hearing solution than any other brand12.

For more information about the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, visit www.cochlear.com/US/Nucleus7.

This media release is only intended for audiences in the United States and Canada. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for more information