The first drugs to treat hearing conditions such as tinnitus could be available in the next five years, according to a new report.

The UK charity Action on Hearing Loss said that, with five drugs already in the final stages of clinical testing and a further 13 in the early stages of clinical development, it expects the first new products to be approved and on the market by 2020.

Around one in six people in Britain lives with some kind of hearing loss – around 10 million people.

It is associated with age, and with the ageing population it has been estimated that more than 14.5 million people – or one in four – will be affected by 2031, which the charity said is a potential public health crisis, like dementia.

Currently available treatments are largely limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants.

The charity said new drugs could help alleviate some types of tinnitus, reduce hearing loss associated with loud noise exposure, middle ear infections and counter specific anti-cancer drugs that cause hearing loss. – PA