Sensorion has cleared a hurdle on the comeback trail for its hearing loss candidate. Therapeutic concentrations of the drug were detected in the inner ears of all sampled patients during a midstage test, suggesting the small molecule reaches its target area and setting the stage for the release of hearing data later this year.
Going into 2022, Sensorion was advancing SENS-401 as a potential treatment for sudden hearing loss and as a way to preserve hearing in patients following cochlear implantation. The phase 2 hearing loss trial failed early in 2022 and, while Sensorion continues to list the indication in its pipeline, the biotech’s search for a partner for late-stage development is yet to deliver a deal.
Sensorion advanced work on the cochlear opportunity last year when it showed the orally administered molecule reached fluid in the inner ears of five patients. The patients experienced less hearing loss than their peers in the control group.
Now, Sensorion has provided more evidence that SENS-401 reaches the inner ear. Seven days after the start of treatment, levels of SENS-401 were “compatible with potential therapeutic efficacy” in all sampled patients. The study featured 25 patients who received a cochlear implant, 16 of whom were in the SENS-401 group.
The discovery of SENS-401 in the inner ear of all sampled patients caused the study to hit its primary endpoint. Sensorion is looking at hearing preservation, which will be key to the prospects of SENS-401, for the secondary endpoints. The biotech is still gathering data with the goal of publishing hearing results later this year.
Sensorion’s phase 2 data will shape its prospects of striking a deal for further development. Cochlear and Sensorion entered into a research collaboration in 2017, the terms of which give the manufacturer of hearing device implants an option to negotiate a global license for SENS-401. Sensorion’s partner can exercise the opinion once the complete readout from the phase 2 trial is available.
Shares in Sensorion climbed 4% to 0.91 euros (99 cents) in the wake of the update.