Biotech Is Working To Fix A Generation's Hearing Problem

MALDEN, MA - JANUARY 10: Rick Wichmann, chief revenue officer at Cambridge Health Alliance, holds his hearing aid before taking part in a meeting with his team in Malden, MA on Jan. 10, 2018. Wichmann suffers hearing loss and sometimes has trouble understanding what colleagues are saying during meetings. Millions of baby boomers are now grappling with hearing loss, prompting companies to develop treatments that improve upon the expensive and often limited-value hearing aids and surgical implants that have been around for decades. At least half a dozen biotechs, including two well-funded local startups, are working on potential breakthroughs in the way hearing loss is treated. But its unclear if the drugs theyre developing will be ready in time to help hearing-impaired boomers, some of whom are in their 70s. (Photo by Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)