Collaboration to improve outcomes for cochlear implant recipients

Sensorion and Cochlear have announced a strategic collaboration focused on improving hearing outcomes in patients with cochlear implants. The collaboration will evaluate therapeutic approaches using the drug candidate SENS-401 in combination with cochlear implants, with preclinical studies initiating in 2018 and potential clinical trials to begin as soon as 2019.

Cochlear is a global leader in cochlear implants — devices that replace the function of the damaged inner ear by converting digitally coded sound into electrical impulses that stimulate the hearing nerve and then the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. Sensorion, meanwhile, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering therapeutics for debilitating inner ear disorders. The company’s drug candidate SENS-401 is a small molecule clinical candidate for hearing loss.

The preclinical combination studies will evaluate SENS-401’s therapeutic effect on hearing outcomes achieved with Cochlear’s implantable devices. SENS-401 has demonstrated in preclinical models (noise- and drug-induced hearing loss) the capacity to enhance survival and preserve functional integrity of hair cells in the inner ear. It thus has the potential to improve hearing outcomes for patients undergoing cochlear implant surgery.

“Cochlear is committed to advance hearing therapies and we look forward to leveraging our combined knowledge and capabilities,” stated Jan Janssen, chief technology officer of Cochlear. “Sensorion has a promising portfolio of therapeutic candidates and we believe that the demonstrated effects of SENS-401 may strategically complement our technology. We are excited for what our combined efforts could mean for providing even better outcomes for implant recipients.”

“Our collaboration has the potential to be transformational for both partners, as well as for patients suffering from hearing loss,” added Sensorion CEO Nawal Ouzren. “In children, the sense of hearing is crucial to development, language and learning; in older adults, hearing impairment can be disabling and isolating. We believe that our collaborative efforts could ultimately result in life-changing benefits to implanted patients and we look forward to initiating mid-stage clinical testing as soon as 2019.”

As part of the strategic collaboration, Cochlear will invest €1.6 million in shares of Sensorion. In exchange, Cochlear will receive a right of first negotiation for a global licence to use SENS-401 in patients with certain implantable devices.

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