Researchers from the University of Florida (UF) Health and the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands believe a new two-drug cocktail holds promise as a potential treatment for patients with diabetic retinopathy.
The researchers have reportedly shown via a rat model that the two-drug treatment of irbesartin — an angiotensin receptor blocker already being used to treat high blood pressure — and the anti-diarrhea compound thiorphan, a neprilysin inhibitor, were more effective than a single drug at reducing symptoms of diabetic retinopathy within the animals' retinas.
During the 12-week study, the two-drug treatment reportedly reduced capillary loss by 68 percent, compared to 43 percent with the single drug. Additionally, the two-drug combination was also more effective than the lone drug at reducing cell death in the retina after 12 weeks in the rat models.
The study was recently published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
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Source: University of Florida Health