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Press Releases

New data show important results in the treatment of diabetic eye complications  

DIRECT (DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials) is a large-scale global clinical trials programme designed to assess the benefit of a blood pressure drug, candesartan, in the fight against diabetic eye disease (retinopathy). The data showed a strong trend in reducing the onset of diabetic retinopathy in Type 1 diabetes patients, and a significant increase in regression of diabetic retinopathy in Type 2 patients.

The results from DIRECT showed that in patients with Type 1 diabetes candesartan reduced the onset of diabetic retinopathy by 18% compared with placebo i.e. inactive treatment. In patients with Type 2 diabetes with early signs of diabetic retinopathy, 13% fewer patients in the candesartan group had worsening of the disease compared with placebo although this did not reach statistical significance (primary endpoint).¹ However in these patients candesartan showed a significant 34% improvement of diabetic retinopathy (secondary endpoint). 
Overall, patients treated with candesartan had less worsening and more improvement in the severity of their retinopathy than patients treated with placebo by the end of the programme (another predefined endpoint).

The DIRECT Programme followed 5,231 diabetes patients across 30 countries for more than four years. The study comprised three double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled studies.

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