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Message From The Study Chair

Welcome to the official website of DIRECT (DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials), an investigator-initiated clinical trial series investigating the effect of candesartan cilexetil on the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is a common and feared complication of diabetes and will affect nearly all people with Type 1 diabetes and approximately two-thirds of people with Type 2 diabetes within 20 years of diagnosis. If untreated, it may lead to blindness. If diagnosed and treated promptly, blindness is usually preventable.

DIRECT consists of three randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre studies that were designed to investigate the potential for candesartan cilexetil to halt the progression of, and possibly prevent, diabetic retinopathy via blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The slides from the first presentation of the main DIRECT results, given at the EASD 11th September 2008, are now available on this website.

We will continue to update the information on this website as analysis of the data from the DIRECT Programme progresses. My colleagues and I hope that you will find this resource useful for your work and studies.