A growing number of pharma companies are pursuing drugs for the ear, according to a recent article in The New York Times. A clinical trial recently began of a gene therapy being developed by Novartis that is aimed at restoring lost hearing, according to the article.

The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) has spent 2013 saluting members of the United States military and veterans, because they suffer from tinnitus disproportionately from the rest of the civilian population. For the past five years, tinnitus has been the number one service-connected disability for veterans from all periods of service and is particularly prevalent in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Hundreds of people were in close proximity to the deafening bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon, and many have been treated at local hospitals for serious ear injuries. But hearing specialists say an untold number of other people could be suffering from hearing loss or ringing in their ears, called tinnitus, though they did not seek out medical help immediately.

Eight patients enrolled in a Mindfulness-Based Tinnitus Stress Reduction (MBSR) program experienced improvement in their symptoms and in how they perceived their disease, according to a Reuters Health news report.