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An apparent breakthrough method of treating diabetic retinopathy has successfully been trialled in the US.

The new diabetic drug ruboxistaurin mesylate can reduce sustained moderate vision loss by 41 per cent in patients with severe non-proliferative (or preproliferative) diabetic retinopathy, a trail has found. The results of a large multicentre study were announced at the American Diabetes Association’s 66th Scientific Sessions which were held in Washington last weekend.

Diabetic retinopathy is the commonest cause of sight loss in the UK’s working age group population. In Britain, approximately 1.8m people are diagnosed with diabetes and are therefore at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Approximately another million people have not been diagnosed and are consequently unaware of their risk, and diabetic eye disease causes 3.4 per cent of vision loss in people aged over 75 in the UK.

Speaking about the new trial results, Dr Paul Dodson, consultant medical ophthalmologist, based in Birmingham, said: ‘Given the high and rising prevalence of diabetes in the UK, and consequently, diabetic retinopathy, the trial results on ruboxistaurin announced today show the potential benefit of this new class of oral drug.

’The ruboxistaurin trial investigator from Heart of England Foundation Trust and University Hospitals, Birmingham added: ‘Diabetic retinopathy leads to devastating visual loss and blindness for patients with diabetes in this country. Many patients lose their ability to read, to work, to drive, the ability to self-manage their diabetes, and ultimately the loss of independence. Consequently, any new therapy would be welcomed in this disease area.

’The US study looked at 813 patients, half of whom were treated with ruboxistauring (a drug developed by Eli Lilly which prevents protein kinase C beta overaction) while the rest were given a placebo. Loss of 15 or more letters over a three-year period was found in the placebo group as compared with just 6.1 per cent of the drug group.

‘These data show that ruboxistaurin has the potential to be the first oral therapy to specifically reduce the risk of vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy,’ said Lloyd Paul Aiello, lead investigator of the study, and associate professor of ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School.

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