Acousia Therapeutics is a Clinical Phase 2 stage biotech company based in Tübingen, Germany. The company is dedicated to the identification and development of small molecules for effective prevention and treatment of different hearing loss etiologies.
Hearing loss is a global pandemic (WHO estimates 1.5bln. patients worldwide today) with no drug treatments available at this time, probably the largest "non-therapeutic area" out there. In order to make hearing loss a druggable disease, Acousia is pursuing a unique target - preferably expressed in the sensory cells of the inner ear - for its small molecule APIs. Our most advanced program ACOU085 is a first-in-class, etiology-agnostic otoprotective small molecule activator of Kv7.4 potassium channels for local delivery through standard transtympanic injection. Following successful completion of clinical Phase 1b in 2022, we are currently enrolling testicular cancer patients undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy in our PROHEAR Phase 2a clinical trial. Our second program ACOU082 is similarly a small molecule activator of Kv7.4 potassium channels currently finishing regulatory preclinical development, but developed for oral administration with the potential to treat chronic/progressive hearing indications such as age-related hearing loss, with combined immediate enhancement of hearing function and long-term reduction of hearing loss progression. Acousia`s development compounds reproducibly and robustly display a dual mode of action in the inner ear: they induce an acute enhancement of outer hair cell function plus lead to a long-term protection of these terminally differentiated cells. We envision our therapeutic approach as a first-line stand-alone treatment as well as a complementary, synergistic form of therapy alongside hearing aids and cochlear implants (CI). Specifically, they would serve to add enhanced clarity of speech and sound perception to the device-based amplification.