8 February 2018 - - Seattle, Washington-based biotech company Oricula Therapeutics, LLC has received permission from the FDA to begin volunteer human testing for safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ORC-13661 for the prevention of hearing loss in patients undergoing aminoglycoside treatment, the company said.
In animal studies, ORC-13661 provided highly significant protection of hearing in rats exposed to high doses of aminoglycoside antibiotics, a common cause of human hearing loss.
Funding for the preclinical development was obtained through grants from the National Institutes of Health, including a USD2.1 m grant from National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases.
Privately held Oricula is introducing medications to protect hearing and balance from the damaging effects of medications and aging.
The company is commercializing research conducted at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and holds an exclusive license to the resulting intellectual property.