Sonova is pursuing a clear growth strategy and is accumulating acquisitions. After the cochlear implant manufacturer, Advanced Bionics, it’s now the turn of the American manufacturer, InSound Medical Inc., to fall into the net of the Swiss group. The transaction comes with the leading product of the American corporation, Lyric, the new totally invisible and disposable hearing system placed deep in the canal for a duration of four months. Transaction cost: 75 million dollars. By adding Lyric to its portfolio of products, Sonova wants to reach hearing impaired people with mild to moderate hearing loss that haven’t yet decided to have a conventional hearing aid principally for aesthetic reasons. “The growth potential in this segment is immense,” explained Valentin Chapero, CEO of the Sonova Group. “In the United States alone, there are around 36 million people with mild to moderate hearing loss who do not yet wear a hearing system – many are potential new customers to whom we can now offer a solution, thanks to Lyric. Lyric is the first product developed in the history of hearing technology which addresses the traditional barriers to widespread acceptance of hearing systems.”Lyric can be worn 24 hours a day for a maximum length of 120 days. It measures 16 mm in length and is placed inside the external ear canal, just a few millimeters from the eardrum which allows the users to wear it even in the shower or while sleeping. Patients must have a hearing care professional place it and continue to wear it until the battery is fully discharged.Professor Robert Schindler, creator of the device, marketed it through his company, InSound, since 2008 in the United States. Today, more than 3,000 people use this device.