NEW YORK – The ability to obtain affordable Audien-type hearing aids for less than $100 is offered by neighborhood pharmacies in New York, freeing the hands of millions of Americans who have long been held captive by unreasonably high financial costs and complex prescription and approval procedures.

As Greek-American Stellamaria Vikatos, Supervising Pharmacist at Avenue Chemists, 45-01 30th Avenue in Astoria, told The National Herald, these are Audien-type hearing aids, which are available over-the-counter at the price of $99, when similar hearing aids in the past cost up to $4,000.

“The particular Audien brand that we have at Avenue Chemists was created by Arthur Garber. He founded Audien in 2016 after realizing that hearing aids for his grandmother would cost $3,000 to $4,000. Audien sells for $99 at local pharmacies. As reported by the FDA, over 37 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. Only one fifth of people use a hearing aid. The high cost is a major limiting factor. The availability of affordable over-the-counter hearing aids in pharmacies aims to remove barriers such as cost and social stigma associated with hearing loss,” says Vikatos.

As a recent report had pointed out, according to the federal agencies, this development could improve the lives of 28.8 million Americans, since, until now, only one in five people with hearing problems use hearing aids. Aggravating factors for hearing are defined as advanced age, exposure to loud noises, underlying health problems, as well as other types of issues. For their part, hearing aids can increase the volume of speech and sounds to help these people communicate better.

“At Avenue Chemists for over 10 years we have been a neighborhood pharmacy and we see the daily struggles of our patients. Whenever we can, we help make their lives easier by filling their prescriptions, calling their doctors, and explaining their medications. When we heard about a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids in late 2019, we realized that this was a lifesaver for many patients who had not been able to get hearing aids in the past,” concluded Vikatos.

Those interested can contact the pharmacy by phone: 718-545-1010.

As USA Today reported, today’s hearing aids come with smartphone apps that allow consumers to calibrate the devices themselves. Manufacturers are setting up call centers and help desks to assist customers with the application and coordination. In addition, they are gearing up for competition on price, sound quality, design, and multiple features like call streaming and music.