Pharmacological Evaluation of Drugs in Animal Models of Tinnitus

Despite the pressing need for effective drug treatments for tinnitus, currently, there is no single drug that is approved by the FDA for this purpose. Instead, a wide range of unproven over-the-counter tinnitus remedies are available on the market with little or no benefit for tinnitus but with potential harm and adverse effects. Animal models of tinnitus have played a critical role in exploring the pathophysiology of tinnitus, identifying therapeutic targets and evaluating novel and existing drugs for tinnitus treatment. This review summarises and compares the studies on pharmacological evaluation of tinnitus treatment in different animal models based on the pharmacological properties of the drug and provides insights into future directions for tinnitus drug discovery.