Oto and Lindus Health launch a remote trial to increase patient access to tinnitus therapy

Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLMSep 15 2023

Digital health company Oto and clinical trial start-up Lindus Health today announced the launch of a fully remote, digital trial to increase patient access to life-changing tinnitus therapy. 

Tinnitus, which is often described as “ringing in the ears”, can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing problems such as insomnia and depression. In the UK, persistent tinnitus is estimated to affect 6 million people - around 15% of the population.

There is currently no cure for tinnitus. 

Through their digital, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program, Oto’s tinnitus specialists combine first-hand experience with professional expertise to increase patient access to tinnitus management and reduce self-reported distress and illness severity. 

The trial will see 198 patients across the UK take part in a fully-remote, digital study to assess Oto’s smartphone tinnitus management programme against therapist-delivered CBT in achieving improvement in self-reported tinnitus severity in adults. 

Lindus Health is responsible for delivering the trial end-to-end, including protocol draft, data collection and management, recruitment, and trial monitoring. 

Commenting on the trial, Michael Young, Co-Founder of Lindus Health said: “As tinnitus continues to be an issue blighting around 15% of the UK population - and with no single cure in sight - this trial will be fundamental in helping those who suffer to better manage their symptoms. 

“With the ability to offer a fully-remote trial, we’re helping people from all over the UK to gain access to life-changing coaching - with our process delivering clinical trials three times faster than the industry standard”. 

This trial represents a significant milestone for Oto, allowing us to be the first to conduct this groundbreaking tinnitus research. We hope this will provide the scientific backing to accelerate our mission of giving people their lives back from tinnitus."

Edmund Farrar, CEO, Oto

Mr Matthew Smith, Consultant ENT surgeon in Cambridge and Chief Investigator for the trial said: “This clinical trial is really exciting as we are testing an entirely remotely delivered therapy that would have little limit on expansion to enable far more patients to be treated, whilst still maintaining much of the personalization of therapy that tinnitus patients benefit from. 

“With the support of Lindus Health, the trial itself is an exemplar in technology enhancing clinical trial efficiency, and we have been able to set up and start recruiting at a very fast rate, reaching all corners of the UK, and ensuring both a diverse population of participants and equitable access to all tinnitus sufferers.”

If the Oto tinnitus management programme is shown as effective as standard one-to-one tinnitus therapy, this could have real benefits in terms of providing both healthcare providers and a far greater number of affected individuals with patient-focused, cost-effective treatment.