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 results from DIRECT are available on this website. Slides from presentations, including the first presentation of the main results given at the EASD 11th September 2008, can be found on the slide presentations page. For journal publications, visit the publications page.
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.
Professor Anne Katrin Sjølie
DIRECT Steering Committee Chair
University of Southern Denmark, Odense
