Trehalose is an ingredient, along with hyaluronic acid, in an artificial tears product used to treat dry eye. Outbreaks of Clostridium difficile were initially associated with trehalose,.  This finding was disputed in 2019.
In 2021, the FDA accepted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and granted fast track status for an injectable form of trehalose (SLS-005) as a potential treatment for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3).