New treatment recommended to prevent hearing loss in children undergoing chemotherapy

Getty/Valiantsina Halushka

By Sarah Lowden

A new treatment – which almost halves the rate of hearing loss in children undergoing cisplatin chemotherapy – has been recommended for use on the NHS in England.

In its final draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended the use of anhydrous sodium thiosulfate, also known as Pedmarqsi and made by Norgine, for preventing hearing loss caused by cisplatin chemotherapy in children from the ages of 1 month to 17-years-old with solid tumours which have not spread to other parts of the body.