Diabetes Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Diabetes, including details on insulin, type i, type ii, diet, treatment, prevention.

Medical treatment of diabetic retinopathy with somatostatin analogues.

Palii SS, Caballero S, Shapiro G, Grant MB

Pharmore, Inc., 5507 NW 80th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA.

Traditional management strategies for retinal neovascularisation accompanying proliferative diabetic retinopathy include photocoagulation laser therapy. The development of preventative pharmacological treatments aimed at replacing or delaying this acute intervention has been an active research area and somatostatin analogues have shown promise in reducing the progression of retinal vascular pathologies. This review summarises the present knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neovascularisation, and the rationale for the therapeutic use of somatostatin analogues as well as the results of two key recent clinical trials using octreotide. The potential use of octreotide and other somatostatin analogues in reducing the risk of severe visual impairment in proliferative diabetic retinopathy is discussed and pharmacological treatment regimens are proposed as an additional strategy or a less invasive alternative to laser therapy.

Published 12 December 2006 in Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 16(1): 73-82.
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