Safety and Efficacy of STR001-IT and STR001-ER in Patients With SSHL

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male or female patients aged ≥ 18 2. Patients with a SSHL within 96 hours of its perception 3. Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss including 1. idiopathic unilateral Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss or 2. acute uni- or bilateral acoustic trauma-induced Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with a history of Meniere's Disease 2. Patients with a hearing threshold above 100 dB across at least 6 frequencies 3. Patients with endolymphatic, hydrops or history of fluctuating hearing loss 4. Patients with suspected perilymph fistula, membrane rupture, retrocochlear lesions or a barotrauma 5. Patients with an air-bone gap of ≥ 20 dB in 3 contiguous frequencies at baseline 6. Previous SSHL incident at the same ear 7. Patients with acute or chronic otitis media or otitis externa. 8. Patients with congenital hearing loss 9. Patients with known hypersensitivity to pioglitazone, other thiazolidindiones or any formulation component 10. Use of thiazolidinedione (e.g. pioglitazone, rosiglitazone) in the last 6 months prior to baseline 11. Any use of CYP450 2C8 inducers (e.g. rifampicine) 12. Fibrates (e.g. gemfibrozil, fenofibrate) in the last 6 months prior to baseline 13. Patients where oral administration of pioglitazone is contraindicated (i.e. cardiac failure or history of cardiac failure (NYHA stages I to IV), hepatic impairment, diabetic ketoacidosis, current bladder cancer or a history of bladder cancer, uninvestigated macroscopic haematuria 14. Women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or plan to get pregnant during the trial duration 15. Women of childbearing potential unwilling or unable to practice effective method of contraception 16. Participation in other clinical trials in the last month prior to baseline