Still got that low tinnitus! I'm actually at the clinic right now waiting on my hearing test before I go home. I spoke with the nurse who does all my visits and she told me that out of the 4 people dosed at the clinic so far, me and and one other have experienced improvement, which I guess isn't bad as far as the odds go.
Also slightly unrelated note, this clinic is currently enrolling for the OTO-413 trial which I found interesting. I was talking to the nurse about tinnitus and Otonomy and it came up. I don't fit the trial criteria but it's nice to know.
Good to see things progressing.
@Sentinel:
You seem like a really sweet and kind person. Your intentions are wonderful and you have a heart of gold. Very kindly, I want to try to explain why I disagree with you chronicling your experiences.
The main primary end point in this trial is TFI. If you look through the TFI test,
many of the questions are based on distress/QoL/outlook. I did the math and for someone to become a "responder," (a TFI reduction of at least 13 points), they basically need to improve by 20% in these highly subjective areas.
Let's say a placebo patient "spots" something in this thread from your chronicling. They could easily become a responder. While this isn't your fault, hearing metrics are very primitive so all of the standards fall back on antiquated tests like TFI, which are not that scientific or hearing based.
There's a historical precedence of "placebo performances" hurting trials. In fact, Otonomy's own Meniere's drug, OTIVIDEX, made its way all the way to Phase 3. It ended up failing
two trials because of strong placebo performances. Actually, the drug worked for the people who followed the protocol.
I can't emphasize enough how much these companies are up against the wall. The "hope" is just not worth it. Remember all of the "hope" we all had before FX-322 Phase 2? Yeah, it came crashing down. It is
far more important for drugs to demonstrate a strong stratification between the placebo and treatment group.
The nurse telling you these things is highly irresponsible. Trust me,
hope does not help clinical trials succeed.
With this said, you are a sufferer and I really hope you find relief. You seem like a good dude.