Sonova "considering hearing aids for the supermarket"?

Sonova CEO Arnd Kaldowski is cited in the article as saying “We’re thinking about devices that can be sold without consulting a hearing aid specialist.”

Sonova’s German affiliate Sonova Deutschland GmbH has announced that this statement in reply to a journalist’s question at the press conference to present half-year results is indeed accurate. However, it relates solely to the US market where over the counter devices have seen increasing interest for some time. In addition, Kaldowski said in this regard that as the market leader technologically, the company is of course well placed to participate in this type of market, i.e. OTC devices, but that it was waiting for details about regulations before making a decision.

Incidentally, details on the regulations are not expected before 2020. One of the issues is whether OTC devices should, in the future, also be dispensed by non-licensed distributors in the United States. This is not yet the case.

Sonova Deutschland GmbH also stressed that, on principle, the company “strongly believes in fitting of hearing systems in retail stores. “If this were not the case, Sonova AG would not have invested so much money in its own specialist stores.”

Source: Audio Infos Germany