Cochlear Combines the World's Thinnest Cochlear Implant Platform with the Industry's Thinnest Full Length Electrode

CENTENNIAL, Colo., July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announced today the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Profile™ Implant with Slim Straight Electrode (CI522). Built on over 30 years of experience and developed in close collaboration with the world's leading surgeons, the Profile Series is the thinnest cochlear implant platform designed to provide the most discreet appearance for both pediatric and adult cochlear implant users.

"The Nucleus Profile Implant is built on the same reliability principles that are standard for all of our current and previous generation devices," said Anthony Manna, President, Cochlear North America. "This approval further expands what is already the industry's largest cochlear implant portfolio and supports a wider range of surgical techniques among implanting surgeons giving them and their patients the greatest possible choice."

Combined with the industry's thinnest full length electrode, the Nucleus Profile with Slim Straight Electrode is the newest in Cochlear's broad portfolio of electrodes designed for preservation of delicate cochlear structures, to deliver the best possible full spectral hearing performance and to accommodate specific preferences with anatomy and technique in the widest range of patient conditions. It contours the curvature of the head and is almost two times stronger than the most reliable implant ever built, the previous generation Nucleus CI24RE device. Its smooth surface is designed to minimize the risk of infection, and the removable magnet is ideally designed for MRI safety and to minimize image distortion.

"This is fantastic news because it means that more patients can enjoy the comfort and discreetness of the thin Profile Implant no matter which electrode is best for them," said Dr. Peter Weber, M.D., MBA, Otolaryngology, UMass Memorial Medical Center, and Medical Advisor to Cochlear.

People who choose the Nucleus Profile with Slim Straight Electrode will also receive the market-leading Nucleus 6 Sound Processor, which delivers more smart features than ever before, including true 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity and SmartSound® iQ, a proprietary signal processing platform that automatically adapts to different acoustic environments. These features are not only intended to help make listening easier, they are designed to help users hear and understand speech in all listening situations, even in noise.

For more information about Cochlear and its products, please visit http://www.Cochlear.com/US.

About Cochlear Implants
Cochlear implants are a proven medical option for infants as young as 12 months old with profound hearing loss in both ears, children aged two and older with severe-to-profound hearing loss, and adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss in both ears. They are electronic devices that bypass damaged hair cells in the inner ear, or cochlea, and stimulate the hearing nerve directly.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)
Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of 2,700 people and invests more than AUS$100 million a year in research and development. Products include hearing systems for cochlear, bone conduction and acoustic implants.

Over 400,000 people of all ages, across more than 100 countries, now hear because of Cochlear.

www.cochlear.com

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SOURCE Cochlear Limited

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http://www.Cochlear.com/US