Is there such thing as a hearing loss pill? Biotech startups are thinking yes.

[cs_content][cs_section parallax="false" class="mtn" style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 45px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][x_custom_headline level="h1" looks_like="h3" accent="false"]Is there such thing as a hearing loss pill? Biotech startups are thinking yes.[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax="false" style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][cs_text class="cs-ta-justify"]In today’s society, hearing loss and hearing aids have become synonymous. No one ever talks about hearing loss without advocating for hearing aids for their hard of hearing friend. Anyone with a parent struggling with hearing loss knows how to slip hearing aids into almost every conversation, and has a hundred examples of how hearing aids gave a whole new life of their colleague or gym buddy. This might all change soon. Pharmaceutical startups are looking for new ways to treat hearing loss, and think they may have found solutions to restore hearing. If you could take a pill and ditch the hearing aid, would you?[/cs_text][x_blockquote cite="Dave Fabry, Audiologist" type="center"]"2016 is the year of the ear"[/x_blockquote][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax="false" style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 45px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][x_custom_headline level="h2" looks_like="h3" accent="false"]Why Create a Hearing Loss Pill?[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class="cs-ta-justify"]Developing drugs for hearing loss is no easy task. The ear is a complicated thing, full of thousands of hair and nerve cells, complex molecular pathways and countless synaptic connections that carry signals from the ear to the neural pathways and on to the brain. But if you have hearing loss, everything may change for you soon. “I say 2016 is the year of the ear,” declared Dave Fabry, an audiologist with the Better Hearing institute. Hearing loss is getting more attention now than ever before.As the baby boomers are reaching their seventies, the number of people with hearing loss is skyrocketing. By the age of 75, half of older Americans will have hearing loss. Not just the baby boomers have hearing loss, but younger generations are more at risk now than ever before, as hearing is damaged by noisy professions, blasting music on ear buds, and crowded city streets. The need for alternative treatment methods is also growing. Many people with hearing loss resist wearing hearing aids because they don’t want to draw attention to their hearing loss, are afraid of what their family and friends will say, or simply don’t want to make the investment.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax="false" style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 45px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][x_custom_headline level="h2" looks_like="h3" accent="false"]Pharmaceutical Treatments – What Research is Being Done?[/x_custom_headline][cs_text class="cs-ta-justify"]A drug treatment for hearing loss is completely different than a hearing aid. While hearing aids amplify sounds and make it easier for your ears and brain to work, pharmaceuticals could potentially restore damaged hearing! Several companies are researching hearing loss and drug treatments, and they are highlighted in a recent article for Fortune. Researchers in molecular biology and bioinformatics are studying the ear, and are developing treatment plans that could regenerate hair cells and nerve fibers to restore hearing. Let’s take a look at some of these exciting projects!Decibel is a company to watch closely. This research team was launched in 2015 by Third Rock Ventures, a biotech company in Boston. Building on thirty years of research by Charles Liberman, a professor of otolaryngology at Harvard, they may be close to finding a drug-based solution. Liberman studied the nerve fibers in the ear, and realized that they are damaged before the hair cells are damaged. He’s working towards finding a way to reconnect the nerve fibers with the hair cells to restore hearing before the hair cells are damaged.Looking at damaged hair cells is another company worth highlighting. GenVec, who are researching gene therapy, are looking for a way to regrow damaged hair cells in the ear. Finally, the San Diego-based company Otonomy has been researching the cause of tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. The theory is that tinnitus is caused by an overexcitement of the nerve fibers in the ear. They are currently running clinical trials to reduce the over-activity of the nerve cells and cure tinnitus. When can you get pills for hearing loss? Sadly, the answer is not yet. Experts say we won’t see any products on the market for at least another five years. However, this emerging field is really taking off and shows fascinating results and exciting new possibilities to treating hearing loss.In the meantime, hearing aid technology continues to evolve in innovative ways! Contact us at Atlanta Hearing Doctor to learn more about the best options for your hearing needs. [/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax="false" style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px 0px 45px;"][cs_row inner_container="true" marginless_columns="false" style="margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;"][cs_column fade="false" fade_animation="in" fade_animation_offset="45px" fade_duration="750" type="1/1" style="padding: 0px;"][x_callout title="Atlanta Hearing Doctor" message="Reach out to us, our friendly team looks forward to hearing from you.(404) 252-7528" type="center" button_text="or click here" circle="false" button_icon="lightbulb-o" href="https://www.atlantahearingdoctor.com/contact/" href_title="" target=""][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]