Diabetic Neuropathy Research Study

Diabetic Neuropathy Research Study

DIABETIC NEUROPATHY RESEARCH
STUDY

The science of medicine advances by test. New

treatments and new theories are proposed, but only by test can we determine which ones

work, which ones fail, which ones are safe, and which ones need adjusting to make them

safe. Everywhere you turn, there are new studies underway. You might even get the chance

to participate!

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, the nerve

disorder that can follow long-established diabetes, carries with it risk of tingling,

numbness, and excruciating pain in the feet and legs. It is difficult to treat with

currently-available medications, and a lot of researchers are looking for a better way.

One such study concerns an experimental class of drugs called aldose reductase inhibitors.

A two-year research study is underway now, at 41 different clinical trial sites. The

researchers are testing a drug called zenerstat, developed by Parke-Davis--and their

findings will help determine whether we see it on pharmacy shelves as an approved

treatment for neuropathy. They are looking for participants!

Who is eligible? Every study is different, but

this one wants men and women, age 18-70, with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who may or may

not have the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

What happens? First, interested diabetics call

1-800-283-7634. You will find out if you are eligible to receive a free medical screening,

to determine if you suffer from neuropathy. If you do, and you can make the two-year

commitment the study requires, you may be eligible to receive free study-related medical

care for the duration, as well as the possibility of treatment with the investigational

drug zenerstat.

Some participants will receive a high dose of the

drug. Some will receive a lower. Some will receive an inert pill, a placebo. The

clinicians who are carrying out this test don't know who will receive which--and will not

be told until the investigation is over. The point is to determine if zenerstat works.

To find out if you are eligible, and where the

nearest study center is, call the study number: 1-800-283-7634. You will be asked some

preliminary questions, and, if you are a good "fit" for the research, then told

how to proceed. Participation costs you nothing but time. But you need to act soon--the

researchers have about half their people, and expect to have them all by the end of July

(1999) or shortly after. If you move quickly, you could be in the forefront of this

important study--and remember, only through such human studies can we be sure if a

medication works.