Iraq, Afghanistan vets benefit from FDA-approved device to treat tinnitus
Bethlehem, Pa. Oct. 18, 2011 - Neuromonics, Inc., the maker and distributor of the Oasis, an FDA-cleared, patented and clinically proven medical device designed for long-term significant relief of tinnitus, has received a contract from the U.S. Army to study the effects and use of the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment (NTT) in military environments.
The contract, issued and administered by the U.S Army Medical Research Acquisition Act, totals nearly $700,000, and provides funds to extend work currently in progress under a grant Neuromonics received in 2010. The clinical study is examining the effects of placebo treatment and the NTT in active and retired members of the military with tinnitus. The new study, expected to take place at the U.S. Army's Fort Rucker post in Alabama, will also seek to improve the efficacy of the NTT among members of the military. The NTT already has proven effective in more than a dozen clinical studies in both civilian and military populations, according to Duane Knight, chief operating officer at Neuromonics.
"This grant continues the strong working relationship between Neuromonics and the U.S. military," says Knight. "It is a clear indication that both organizations are committed to providing the best possible solution to all those who suffer from tinnitus as a result of their active military service, and help those individuals - including active-duty personnel - get back to work as quickly as possible."
The NTT uses an electronic medical device that combines soothing music with an embedded tone. This patient-specific, customized stimulus works to relieve the effects of tinnitus. Neuromonics' Oasis device, which works by desensitizing the patient's tinnitus perception, is an FDA-cleared, patented and clinically proven medical device with documented long-term relief of tinnitus. The patient wears the small, non-invasive device for a few hours per day, listening to soothing music that is customized to each person's unique hearing profile by specially trained audiologists. The NTT is particularly helpful for patients whose sleep is disturbed by their tinnitus, according to Knight, and enables many tinnitus sufferers to maintain or return to a normal working life.
Tinnitus in the military
According to the American Tinnitus Association, more than 50 million people in the United States suffer from tinnitus, the condition described as ringing in the ears when no external sounds are present. Usually brought on by exposure to loud noise, the problem is especially significant in the military, with more than 34 percent of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from the condition.
Recent research has demonstrated that the NTT yields clinically significant reduction in tinnitus disturbance for more than 90 percent of suitable patients in a formal clinical trial setting. Members of the military experience similar, or better, results. In one recent study at the Hollywood, Fla., Veterans Administration Hospital, 96 percent of patients reported a reduction in their TRQ (Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire), a self-report questionnaire that evaluates tinnitus distress, by 40 percent or more.
Neuromonics, Inc.
Neuromonics, Inc., manufactures and distributes the FDA-cleared, patented and clinically proven medical device designed for long-term significant relief of tinnitus. With research and development beginning in the early 1990s, the Neuromonics tinnitus treatment has helped thousands of tinnitus sufferers improve their quality of life and overcome the daily life challenges associated with tinnitus. Neuromonics is based in Bethlehem, Pa.
For more information about Neuromonics visit www.neuromonics.com.
USAMRMC Contract
This research and development project will be conducted by Neuromonics, Inc., and is made possible by a contract that was awarded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), at Fort Detrick, MD, under Contract Number: W81XWH-11-2-0190.
