Pharma Wakes Up To Transformative Progress In Hearing Loss Research

 
• By John Davis

The cacophony of noise in the modern world is one factor driving the loss of hearing throughout humankind, a condition that until now has not been thought amenable to pharmacological intervention. But with small-molecule approaches to regenerating cells in the inner ear bearing fruit, biotech and pharmaceutical companies are taking renewed interest in the sector. 

Internal ear
developing drugs for hearing-related conditions is not easy • Source: Shutterstock

If the decibels are high enough, a single night at a noisy musical event will destroy some of your inner ear hair cells forever – some animals, including birds and frogs, are able to regenerate hair cells, but that regenerative ability has been lost in humans. At birth, you had around 12,000 hair cells in each ear, and that number has been on the decline ever since.

Estimates vary, but the US charity the Hearing Health Foundation reckons that some 50 million people in the US, and...

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