SonaMed Corporation Recipient of Product Innovation Award by Frost and Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan has selected SonaMed as the recipient of the Product Innovation Award in the U.S. ABR and OAE analyzer industry based on the ingenious design of the company's Clarity System product. The Clarity System is an advanced screening analyzer incorporating both OAE and ABR into a single platform.

Product Innovation Award - SonaMed

Frost & Sullivan has selected SonaMed as the recipient of the Product Innovation Award in the U.S. ABR and OAE analyzer industry based on the ingenious design of the company's Clarity System product. The Clarity System is an advanced screening analyzer incorporating both OAE and ABR into a single platform. Unlike hand-held screeners, the Clarity provides additional diagnostic functions that can also help reduce false referrals in customers' newborn hearing screening (NHS) programs. Since the patented design of the Clarity supports both OAE and ABR, it is well positioned to support a two stage testing protocol, as advocated by the National Institutes of Health, for NHS programs. This two-stage protocol allows hospitals to enjoy the benefits of both technologies, while at the same time reduce the risk of false referrals, both positive and negative. The Clarity can also help customers reduce the cost of disposables because the same pieces are used for both ABR and OAE tests. Screening time is reduced because all the necessary technology is in one location and the tester does not have to move additional equipment into position. The single unit also makes user training simpler and more streamlined. All data is collected in one database making it easier for programs to collect, process and track patient information.

SonaMed has a special agreement with GE Marquette, which distributes the Clarity through its own channels into hospitals. This unique relationship, coupled with a revolutionary product design, positions SonaMed for continued growth and success in the ABR and OAE analyzer industry.

Award Description

The Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Award for Product Innovation is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within their industry. The recipient company has shown innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies.

Research Methodology

To choose a recipient of this award, the analyst team tracks all new product launches, R&D spending, products in development, and new product features and modifications. This is accomplished through interviews with all the market participants, and extensive secondary and technology research. All new product launches and new products in development in each company are compared and evaluated based on degree of innovation and customer satisfaction. Companies are then ranked by number of new product launches and new products in development.

Measurement Criteria

In addition to the methodology describe above, there are specific criteria used to determine final competitor rankings in this industry. The recipient of this award has excelled based on one or more of the following criteria:

Significance of new product(s) in their industry

Competitive advantage of new product(s) in their industry

Product innovation in terms of unique or revolutionary technology

Product acceptance in the marketplace

New product value-added services provided to customers

Number of competitors with similar product(s).