The agency’s decision is based on results from a clinical trial in which the treatment improved hearing in 80 percent of the pediatric participants. However, Deaf community advocates worry about the push to cure hearing loss Newborns usually go through tests to determine whether they have hearing problems. Undiagnosed issues can delay developmental milestones. BSIP / UIG Via Getty Images On April 23, the Food and Drug Administration  approved  the first-ever gene therapy for a rare, congenital form of deafness. The treatment’s maker, biotechnology company Regeneron, says it plans to provide the therapy for free to patients in the United States. “This really is life-changing for families with children with hearing loss,” says  Eliot Shearer , a pediatric otolaryngologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, who helped lead a clinical trial investigating the treatment, to Berkeley Lovelace Jr. at  NBC News .…