Charity offering help for companies to develop hearing loss drugs

Development opportunity

The UK charity the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) is appealing for companies to develop treatments for noise-induced hearing loss, offering financial and scientific support to help build on a wide range of drug targets that have been uncovered recently.

In a report launched at the BIO International Convention in Atlanta last week, RNID claimed drugs to protect hearing before or after excessive noise could create a $1.9 billion a year market.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by a variety of loud noise from work and leisure, including explosions, loud music and drilling. RNID estimates that 12.6 million people in North America and Europe currently suffer from the condition with those most at risk including soldiers, construction workers, musicians and people who regularly listen to loud MP3 players.

There are currently no licensed pharmaceuticals available to treat noise-induced hearing loss, but the RNID says there are very some promising lines of research that urgently need to be taken forward. RNID is offering to help companies interested in exploring these market opportunities.  

Launching the report, RNID’s Executive Director of Science and Enterprise, Mark Downs, said, “RNID can help companies explore opportunities arising from current research into hearing loss and explaining how their technology could be used to protect hearing.”

“Our evidence makes us certain that investment in this area now will lead to huge reward in the future.”