Fenofibrate slows diabetic retinopathy progression

Trial data has shown that the old, generic cholesterol drug fenofibrate has shown potential for slowing the progression of diabetic retinopathy in people with early retinal changes, with the potential of reducing the need for retinal laser or intravitreal injection treatment.

In the LENS trial of more than 1100 people randomly assigned to fenofibrate or a placebo for four years, fenofibrate led to a 27% reduction in the progression of, or treatment for, diabetic retinopathy or maculopathy. The benefit was seen in people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and in those with both normal and impaired kidney function.

“We’ll be watching to see what might happen with uptake in routine care with repurposing of an old drug…The point is trying to prevent people from needing [retinal laser and intravitreal injection]. Those treatments have significant downsides. With this drug, if it works, the aim would be to use it early to reduce the numbers of people progressing to need treatment,” lead author David Preiss, PhD, told Medscape Medical News.

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