Potential Good News for BTA?

[Keoni]

I've just come across a news article about Otonomy, a US biopharmaceutical company, that have announced positive results in trials of their OTO-313 drug for tinnitus. 43% of the test subjects recorded a reduction in their tinnitus evaluated in part, I think, using the tinnitus function index.

Could the BTA look into this as it may offer help to some of us in the future?

Respectfully submitted,

Keoni

[deltec]

Has anay body’s from the beta admin herd anay thing

[T-shirts]

Hi,

That sounds like good news, I hope we will be able to have it here, I wouldn't mind trying it, as most of us would, where did you read that, sounds promising,

Many thanks

Anne

[Keoni in reply to T-shirts]

Hi Anne,

I read it in the hearing review magazine (hearingreview.com).

Respectfully submitted,

Keoni

[T-shirts in reply to Keoni]

Hi Keoni,

Oh, ok thanks very much for your reply,

Anne

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi Keoni

Thanks for starting this discussion - the Otonomy OTO-313 test does have promising results, albeit at a small sample size of 31 participants and seemingly with a focus on participants with subjective tinnitus rather than objective tinnitus.

I think results from larger test groups and potential revisions to the dosage of the OTO-313 product will be interesting to keep an eye on.

The issue, as ever, is funding. Figures online suggested by the US-based Tufts Centre for Drug Development suggest that the cost of developing, trialling and successfully getting approval from the Federal Drug Administration for a single pharmaceutical drug is around $2.6 billion. Less than 12% of drugs are approved for prescription.

The last figures that I recall suggested a total spend in the US of around $214 million on hearing disorders, with some $5 million being spend on tinnitus research - frontiersin.org/articles/10....

This is changing though, as the US has seen a dramatic increase in armed forces personnel developing hearing loss and tinnitus related health problems in the last twenty years. The cost of that increase is around $900 million per year, which compares to a cost for the UK's NHS of around £767 million for tinnitus consultations.

If you're interested in developments in tinnitus treatment, I recommend visiting tinnitus.org.uk and reading through the research tab.