Permanent
hearing loss or deafness affects about 15% of people worldwide, about 40 million in the US alone. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs on the market in the US, or anywhere in the world that prevent, treat or reverse permanent
hearing loss or deafness. Age-related
hearing loss (ARHL) is one of the most common forms of permanent hearing loss and deafness. ARHL is the #1 neurodegenerative disorder, #1
communication disorder, and 1 of the top 3 chronic medical conditions (along with
arthritis & cardiovascular diseases) of our aged
population. The incidence of ARHL is increasing due to the “Baby Boomers” reaching old age, and cumulative effects of lifetime
noise exposure, and widespread use of chemotherapeutic and
antibiotic drugs, which are ototoxic, or have ototoxic side effects. A new
drug is disclosed to prevent or slow the progression of ARHL, based upon natural, existing FDA-approved compounds that are on the market to treat other non-ARHL biomedical problems. When given in the proper dosage the compounds have few, if any side effects, and initial evidence supports the effectiveness of the
drug from
in vitro experiments, and
in vivo studies of aging mice, indicating is usefulness in preventing / treating one of the most pervasive forms of permanent hearing loss.