[Page 1343]Numerous pharmacological agents have demonstrated protection and/or rescue from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and/or drug-induced hearing loss (DIHL) in preclinical studies around the world. Some have already progressed to clinical trials. Although none are yet approved for clinical use, it appears likely that in the future one or more of these agents will be available to treat or prevent DIHL or NIHL. Consequently, clinical audiologists and Speech–Language pathologists need to be aware of the agents being studied and their underlying mechanisms of protection.