French biotech Sensorion reported that its only clinical-stage drug, SENS-401 (arazasetron), has failed to achieve its primary endpoint in a phase 2 study assessing whether it restores hearing loss.

SENS-401 did not reach statistical significance for improving sudden hearing loss caused by a lesion or disease of the inner ear or the auditory nerve compared to placebo in the 115-patient study.

Sensorion said it will continue to develop SENS-401 for other indications. The company has three preclinical gene therapy programs in progress aimed at correcting hereditary monogenic forms of deafness.