Two Scientists in OKLAHOMA CITY are trying to develop a drug that would help to reduce hearing loss for those who have suffered exposure to traumatic noise. The two (2) Scientists are Richard Kopke of the Hough Ear Institute and Robert Floyd of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. The hope such a discovery would lead to a reduction in combat related hearing loss in soldiers, as well as help factory workers, machinists and others.

During the time or 2003 clinical trial on 566 Marines, Kopke used a drug known as NAC, which is known for its use in treating those who have taken an overdose of Tylenol. Tylenol is a popular North American brand of drugs for relieving pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, and flu. Kopke found that the troops who received the drug before they went to a firing range retained 25 - 27 percent more hearing than those who did not receive it.

Kopke and Floyd now are working to combine NAC with a drug known as nitrone, which is used in cancer research. A nitrone is the N-oxide of an imine and a functional group in organic chemistry. They hope to create a compound that would prevent hair cells in the ear from dying when those cells exposed to loud noises.