Hearing Regeneration Pill set to enter Clinical Trials
The Hough Ear Institute in Oklahoma is looking to put hearing aids manufacturers out of business with a new pill that is purported to prevent hearing loss after loud noises and even regenerate the delicate nerve endings within the inner ear. The new drug has been in development since 2014 and was originally designed as a treatment for tinnitus (ringing sound in the ears), but has since proven it can also regenerate damaged nerve endings within the inner ear and thus restore part of the person's hearing.
It should be noted that the drug does not restore a person's complete hearing however. It does restore some hearing acuity, but it is not a complete cure.
Users of the new drug would need to take 1 pill twice per day.
The drug just started Phase Two of the FDA's three phases of testing before a new drug can be released to the general public. If all goes well during the drug testing the new medication could be on the market by 2025 or 2026.
So should hearing aid manufacturers and audiologists be worried?
Nope, not really. When the pill does eventually reach the marketplace it will likely be used supplementally in combination with hearing aids. It will restore partial hearing for people suffering from minor to medium hearing loss, people who will likely still need hearing aids. People suffering from severe hearing loss will see less benefits.
So don't expect audiologists to be slinging pills any time soon, and even when the pill does reach the marketplace by 2026 it will likely be sold in combination with whatever hearing aids are on the market by then.
Most often it will be sold to people hoping to prevent hearing loss from working around loud noises, when people neglect to wear hearing plugs when they know they should be.
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