Table 1.
Recently investigated oral pharmacotherapies for DR or DME.
| Therapeutic Agent | Molecular Target | Study Design (Subject/Treatment/Measurement) | Clinical Trial | Sponsor or Collaborator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| α-lipoic acid | Antioxidant | Diabetes type II subjects, mild non-proliferative DR | Phase III | Ludwig-Maximilians—University of Munich/Bausch & Lomb Incorporated |
| α-lipoic acid (600 mg per day) vs placebo | ||||
| Occurrence of the clinically significant macular edema | ||||
| Ubiquinone | Antioxidant | Diabetes type II subjects, non-proliferative DR | Phase II | University of Guadalajara/Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social |
| Ubiquinone (400 mg per day) vs. placebo | ||||
| Alteration in the activities of oxidative stress markers | ||||
| Aminoguanidine | AGEs inhibitor | Diabetes type I subjects, DR | Phase I | University of Minnesota |
| Aminoguanidine (150 mg 1.5 h before measurements) | ||||
| Alteration in the vascular response to flicker | ||||
| ASP8232 | VAP-1 inhibitor | Diabetes type I or II subjects, DME | Phase II | Astellas Pharma Europe B.V. |
| ASP8232 (an capsule per day) vs placebo, w/ ranibizumab | ||||
| Change in the central retinal thickness | ||||
| BI 1467335 | VAP-1 inhibitor | Diabetes type I or II subjects, non-proliferative DR | Phase II | Boehringer Ingelheim |
| BI 1467335 (once per day) vs placebo | ||||
| Change in any ocular events according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events | ||||
| Minocycline | Microglial activation inhibitor | Diabetes type I or II subjects, DME | Phase I, II | National Eye Institute/The Emmes Company, LLC |
| Minocycline (100 mg twice per day) | ||||
| Alteration in the visual acuity and retinal thickness | ||||
| Fenofibrate | PPARα agonist | Diabetes type I or II subjects, DR | Phase IV | University of Padova/Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova |
| Fenofibrate (145 mg per day) vs placebo | ||||
| Alteration in endothelial progenitor and circulating progenitor cell levels | ||||
| SLV348 | PPARα agonist | Diabetes type II subjects, DME | Phase II | Abbott Products |
| SLV348 (135 mg per day) vs placebo | ||||
| Alteration in total macular volume |
DR, Diabetic Retinopathy; DME, Diabetic Macular Edema; PPARα, peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor alpha.