Gene therapy approved for inherited hearing loss

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo Credit:  Kaboompics.com

Last month, the FDA approved Otarmeni, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for inherited hearing loss.  While results show significant hearing improvement among research participants, the therapy still requires confirmation trials to assess long term outcomes. More about the approval can be found on MSN and the FDA site.

Noise damages and eventually kills the basic sensory cell for hearing which are cochlear hair cells. Chickens and other species can regenerate their hair cells, but humans cannot. At the moment, the only treatment for acquired hearing loss remains amplification, most often with hearing aids with cochlear implantation reserved for the profoundly hearing impaired.

The article states the most important fact which is prevention remains the most effective defense against hearing loss. If something sounds loud, it’s too loud, and one’s auditory health is at risk. Preventing noise-induced hearing loss is easy and inexpensive: avoid loud noise exposure, turn down the volume, use hearing protection, or leave the noisy environment, and one’s ears should last an entire lifetime.