It was in 2020 that Lenire® came out as a breakthrough Tinnitus treatment device. It was introduced as a Bimodal Neuromodulation device to help people learn to ignore the sound of Tinnitus. You can learn more about Lenire, later on in this post.
But, with two years having passed by, is Lenire still the only new breakthrough treatment for ringing in the ears? The answer, encouragingly, is no!
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Regenerative Therapy to Reverse Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
MIT or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently put out some very encouraging news about a brand new 2022 breakthrough Tinnitus treatment. It’s called regenerative therapy. You can read MIT’s press release here.
The company behind this technology is called Frequency Therapeutics. The treatment procedure involves the injection of a drug straight into the ear. The drug uses small molecules to reprogram progenitor cells. Progenitor cells are a sub-type of stem cells that allow dead cells in the cochlea to regenerate, potentially restoring normal hearing function.
How Severe is Your Tinnitus?
Find out by using this THI (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory) Scoring Calculator
As you might already know, more than 90% of Tinnitus patients also suffer from hearing loss. So, a reversal or even a partial restoration of lost or depreciated hearing could also mean a significant improvement in Tinnitus symptoms as well.
How likely is regenerative therapy a cure for Tinnitus?
The information and clinical trial findings are unfortunately still very inconclusive. The drug, called FX-322, posted poor clinical trial findings after its phase 2a study. The study concluded that patients who had signed up for 4 weekly injections of FX-322 did not experience any improvement with their hearing loss condition. However, the company also said that the poor results were attributed to a flawed trial design and that it hasn’t given up on the drug, at all.
The company’s stock however crashed hard after the results from the 2a study were announced. Stock price of FREQ (Frequency Therapeutics) fell almost 75% on the day the study results were announced. You can learn more about the progress of this regenerative drug at Frequency Therapeutics’ official website.
Lenire® Bimodal Neuromodulation Tinnitus Breakthrough Update
Lenire, launched in 2020 in Europe, is currently still not available in the USA. It continues to wait for FDA approval. However, it is a popular choice of treatment that is available in several European countries like the UK, France, Belgium and Germany. Germany has the highest number of clinics offering Lenire as a Tinnitus treatment plan.
How does the Lenire Tinnitus device work?
The Lenire device uses principles of neuromodulation to provide Tinnitus releif. This technique involves the modification of a neurological pathway’s response.
Headphones stimulate the auditory nerve with customized sounds. At the same time, a small electrical impulse is generated to the trigeminal nerve, through the tongue. This then together creates what is called a somatosensory response. Over time, the brain as a result of this therapy learns to slowly but surely ignore the sound of Tinnitus. While Tinnitus might not completely go away, the user can benefit from a significantly reduced intensity or intrusiveness of the condition.
Lenire is a fully customized treatment solution and requires a minimum of 3 in-clinic visits between many weeks of home use of the device.
When will Lenire be available in the USA?
The company had posted very promising news that Lenire could be available in the USA by 2021. However, probably due to the pandemic, the treatment is still not available in the USA. FDA approval is still pending. Tinnitus sufferers hoping to take advantage of the treatment will need to travel to one of the European clinics to receive this treatment.
Is Lenire a Tinnitus Treatment You Must Try?
Like with most other Tinnitus treatment modalities, the jury is still out on this one. Clinical studies have showed that Lenire users have enjoyed a significant improvement to their THI scores. But, the treatment is also quite expensive, with insurance coverage unlikely at this stage. If you are in the USA, you will also have to travel to Europe, driving up your cost of treatment quite significantly.
You can read more about the pros and cons of Lenire Tinnitus treatment at a post we wrote a few months ago.
