permanent hearing loss or deafness affects about 15 % of people worldwide , about 40 million in the us alone . there are currently no fda - approved drugs on the market in the us , or anywhere in the world that prevent , treat or reverse permanent hearing loss or deafness . age - related hearing loss is one of the most common forms of permanent hearing loss and deafness . arhl is the # 1 neurodegenerative disorder , # 1 communication disorder , and 1 of the top 3 chronic medical conditions of our aged population . the incidence of arhl is increasing due to the “ baby boomers ” reaching old age , and cumulative effects of lifetime noise exposure , and widespread use of chemotherapeutic and antibiotic drugs , which are ototoxic , or have ototoxic side effects . a new drug is disclosed to prevent or slow the progression of arhl , based upon natural , existing fda - approved compounds that are on the market to treat other non - arhl biomedical problems . when given in the proper dosage the compounds have few , if any side effects , and initial evidence supports the effectiveness of the drug from in vitro experiments , and in vivo studies of aging mice , indicating is usefulness in preventing / treating one of the most pervasive forms of permanent hearing loss .