Despite Noisy Debut, Report Finds Impact Of OTC Hearing Aids Still Muted

More than a year after the FDA created a new rule allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter and directly to consumers, a government report finds the category has not yet made the impact many were expecting.

Hearing Loss
• Source: Shutterstock

When the US Food and Drug Administration established an OTC hearing aid category allowing direct purchases of the devices at stores and online without a prior medical exam or prescription, it was expected to be a game-changer for the millions of consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss.

But that hasn’t been the case so far.

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