ABSTRACT
The need for otoprotective drug agents is readily apparent. Despite the required use of hearing protective devices, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) continues to be a problem for military personnel and workers in a variety of industries. Hearing loss induced by cisplatin and by members of the aminoglycoside family is also a major issue, with significant subsets of patients experiencing clinically significant hearing loss as a side effect of treatment with these life-saving, medically necessary drug agents. Drug-induced hearing loss (DIHL) secondary to cisplatin is a major quality of life issue for patients undergoing chemotherapy and is a life-long disability for the survivors, making this a prominent issue in the field of medicine. Although no otoprotective agents are yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the depth and breadth of preclinical and clinical studies is rapidly expanding with a wide variety of agents showing promise in being both safe and potentially effective for either NIHL or DIHL, or in many cases, both NIHL and DIHL.
