IntriCon Endorses FDA’s Efforts to Improve Hearing Aid Use and Innovation

Recent FDA Comments Align with Company’s Emphasis on Lower-Cost
Hearing Aid Alternatives

ARDEN HILLS, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–IntriCon Corporation (NASDAQ: IIN), a designer, developer,
manufacturer and distributor of miniature and micro-miniature body-worn
devices, today said that it strongly supports the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s (FDA) new efforts to: “better understand how the agency
can appropriately balance patient safety while encouraging advancements
in hearing aid technology and access to these devices in the United
States.”

On Jan. 6, 2016, the FDA announced
that it will convene stakeholders for a public workshop, and has
reopened a public comment period on draft guidance related to the
agency’s premarket requirements for hearing aids and personal sound
amplification products (PSAPs).

Said Mark Gorder, president and chief executive officer of IntriCon,
“Untreated hearing loss in the United States is a substantial national
problem. High device costs and inadequate innovation in distribution
channels are creating significant barriers to access for most Americans.

“As the FDA highlighted in its announcement, statistics from the
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
indicate that 37.5 million U.S. adults aged 18 and older report some
form of hearing loss. However, only 30 percent of adults over 70 and 16
percent of those aged 20 to 69 who could benefit from wearing hearing
aids have ever used them. We applaud and back the FDA’s efforts to
overcome barriers to device access and spur the development and
innovation of cost-effective technology.”

Gorder noted that in October 2015, the President’s Council of Advisors
on Science & Technology (PCAST), the group which advises the President
and makes policy recommendations, addressed
the low hearing health market penetration levels IntriCon has long
pointed out.

PCAST also indicated that untreated hearing loss in the United States is
a substantial national problem, and supported this assessment with
references to the barriers to access. The group recommended revising FDA
regulations and changing the current distribution channel, as well as
creating new channels to increase the opportunities for consumer choice.

Said Gorder, “The assessments offered by PCAST and the FDA are in line
with our views—and initiatives—over the last five years. They highlight
the need for an outcomes-based hearing healthcare model in which the
best value-added devices and software technology are combined with
varying levels of practitioner intervention, to provide the most
efficient, lowest cost solution, to the consumers across the country.

“We believe this model, which we’ve been successfully working to build,
will significantly improve penetration and transform the market. We look
forward to partnering with the FDA and other organizations to bring
hearing healthcare to millions of people who today cannot afford care
through the conventional channel.”

About IntriCon Corporation
Headquartered in Arden Hills,
Minn., IntriCon Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and
distributes miniature and micro-miniature body-worn devices. The company
is focused on three key markets: medical, hearing health, and
professional audio communications. IntriCon has facilities in the United
States, Asia and Europe. The company’s common stock trades under the
symbol “IIN” on the NASDAQ Global Market. For more information about
IntriCon, visit www.intricon.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this release
and in IntriCon’s other public filings and releases that are not
historical facts or that include forward-looking terminology are
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may
be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that are beyond IntriCon’s control, and may cause IntriCon’s actual
results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the
results, performance and achievements expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors
are detailed from time to time in the company’s filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. The company disclaims any
intent or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, regardless of whether new information becomes available,
future developments occur or otherwise.

Contacts

At IntriCon:
Scott Longval, CFO, 651-604-9526
slongval@intricon.com
or
At
PadillaCRT:
Matt Sullivan, 612-455-1700
matt.sullivan@padillacrt.com