US Research

MED-EL commits more of its revenue to research and development of future technologies than any other hearing implant company – more than 30% of revenues are earmarked for R&D efforts. This has been our philosophy since the inception of the MED-EL Company and we’ve consistently re-invested at that level for more than 20 years. This commitment to further research and development has led to a variety of technological advancements that are now available in marketed products, such as the Fine Structure Processing coding strategy that is currently available in the OPUS processors*.

In order to bring new technologies to the market, a company needs to do the basic research to identify new directions, prove the concept in a pilot study, and eventually complete a clinical trial of the new treatment in human subjects under carefully controlled conditions. The results of a clinical trial are then submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval. Once the new treatment receives FDA approval, it can be made available at any hearing implant center and for any candidates that meet the approved criteria to receive such a device.