The Hindu : National : Indigenous cochlear implant to hit the market soon

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Friday, Nov 25, 2005

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Indigenous cochlear implant to hit the market soon

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

It will cost only one fifth that of the cheapest one available now

NEW DELHI: Here is some good news for those with hearing problems. With help from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and top medical professionals, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will soon be `gifting' to the country its first indigenous cochlear implant.

The instrument — an electronic device surgically implanted into the skull of the patient, who is either congenitally deaf and as a result dumb or has become deaf later on in life, for restoring hearing — can be used by both children and adults.

However, the reason why its entry into the market is being so keenly awaited is because the cost of this indigenous instrument is only one-fifth that of the cheapest cochlear implant available in the country.

A cochlear implant sells for anything between Rs. 5 lakhs and Rs. 9.5 lakhs apart from the cost of surgery and hospital stay.

This latest `gift from the President' is ready to go in for animal testing soon. This will be followed by human trials after which the product will hit the market. The implant is expected to help a million people affected by the problem besides, of course, the pride of carrying the tag "Made in India." The design and working mechanism of this low-cost implant is still a `well kept secret' with talks under way with manufactures, suppliers and dealers to create a proper market for the product.

"DRDO Hyderabad team and other experts have been working earnestly towards making the instrument and we will be testing it on guinea pigs soon at Delhi's Defence Institute of Psychological and Allied Sciences in Timarpur. The instrument was to be tested on cats, which has an ear that resembles that of humans, but with strong protest from animal rights activists a new animal had to be selected for testing. After selecting the guinea pig we had to modify the instrument, making it smaller to fit into the animal," explained senior ENT specialist and head of unit, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, J. M. Hans.

The hospital was also among the first in the country where the minimally invasive technique for cochlear implantation was started. "The indigenous implant, which can be put in through the minimal invasive path will, however, not be smaller or lighter than the present instrument, but with the reduced cost, it would be accessible to more people. The President is virtually gifting to his people the joy of sound and we are thrilled to be part of the project that will help a million people in India alone," said Dr. Hans.

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