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Type 2 DiabetesPhase 3DIRECTNCT00252694

DIabetic Retinopathy Candesartan Trials

A Phase 3 study testing candesartan in people with Type 2 Diabetes, run by AstraZeneca.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The primary objective is to determine whether candesartan, compared to placebo reduces the progression of diabetic retinopathy in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients with retinopathy. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 37 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Type 2 Diabetes
What is being tested?
candesartan
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
4,717 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Aug 2001to Apr 2008
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 37 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Male or female aged 37 - 75 years with type 2 diabetes diagnosed at age of 36 years or thereafter.
  • Duration of diabetes for > 1 year and < 20 years with stable diabetic therapy within last 6 months.
  • Patients with untreated resting mean sitting SBP < 130 mmHg and mean sitting DBP < 85 or treated resting mean SBP < 160 mmHg and mean sitting DBP < 90 mmHg with retinal photograph grading level >20/10 up to < 47/47 (on ETDRS severity scale).

Who cannot join

  • Patients with the following conditions are excluded from participation in the study:
  • Cataract or media opacity of a degree which precludes taking gradable retinal photographs
  • Angle closure glaucoma, which precludes pharmacological dilatation of the pupil
  • History of or presence of proliferative retinopathy
  • History or presence of clinical significant macular oedema (CSME)
  • History or evidence of photocoagulation of the retina
Show all 15Show fewer
  • Other retinal conditions which may mask assessment, eg, retinal vein occlusion
  • Positive micral dipstick test
  • Presence of secondary diabetes
  • Pregnant or lactating women or women of child bearing potential not practicing an adequate method of contraception
  • Need of treatment with ACE-inhibitor
  • Haemodynamically significant aortic or mitral valve stenosis
  • Known renal artery stenosis or kidney transplantation
  • Hypersensitivity to study drug
  • Severe concomitant disease which may interfere with the assessment of the patient, eg, malignancy, as judged by the investigator

About this study

Official title: Effects of Candesartan Cilexetil (Candesartan) on Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients With Retinopathy.

The primary objective is to determine whether candesartan, compared to placebo reduces the progression of diabetic retinopathy in normoalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients with retinopathy.

The secondary objective is to determine whether candesartan, compared to placebo, reduces the incidence of clinically significant macular oedema (CSME) and/or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and beneficially influences the rate change in urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER).

This study is part of the DIRECT Programme also including a primary prevention study of diabetic retinopathy in type 1 diabetes and a secondary prevention study in type 1 diabetes. The primary objective for all three pooled studies is to determine whether candesartan, compared to placebo, reduces the incidence of microalbuminuria in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients.

Conditions
Type 2 Diabetes
Being tested
candesartan
Keywords
Diabetes mellitus type 2
Medical subject headings
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • candesartanDrug

    Also called ATACAND

    32 mg oral tablet

Study groups in NCT00252694
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
candesartanExperimentalcandesartan cilexetil 32 mg once daily
Receives: Drug: candesartan
placeboNo interventioncontrol

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Number of Participants With a 3-step or Greater Increase in Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (EDTRS) Severity Scale

    3 steps were defined as either a 1-step change in one eye and a 2-step change in the other eye or as a 3-step change in one eye only. EDRTS is a scale with 11 steps (1-11). A generlized log-rank test was used to test difference between treatments.

    Measured: From baseline to end of study, i.e. 5 years, with visits after a half year, one year and thereafter one visit per year.

Secondary outcomes (3)

  1. Number of Participants With at Least a 3 Step Improvement or a Persistent 2-step Improvement in the ETDRS Severity Scale.

    3 steps were defined as either a 1-step change in one eye and a 2-step change in the other eye or as a 3-step change in one eye only. EDRTS is a scale with 11 steps (1-11).

    Measured: From baseline to end of study, i.e. 5 years.

  2. Number of Participants With Incident Clinically Significant Macular Edema (CSME) and/or Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR).

    Clinically Significant Macular Edema (CSME) and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) are diagnosed via retinal photographs.

    Measured: From baseline to end of study, i.e. 5 years.

  3. Rate of Change in Urinary Albumin Excretion Rate (UAER).

    An estimate of the slope from fitting a linear regression of log(UAER) over time (post-randomisation, yearly assessments) for each patient.

    Measured: From Baseline to end of study, i.e. 5 years.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Nov 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startAug 2001
  3. Primary completionFeb 2008
  4. Study completionApr 2008

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
4,717 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00252694
Sponsor's protocol ID
D2453C00047
Other IDs
DIRECT, SH-AHM-0047
Acronym
DIRECT
Status last verified
Apr 2014
First submitted
10 Nov 2005
Last updated
6 Jun 2014

Publications

  • Natale P, Palmer SC, Navaneethan SD, Craig JC, Strippoli GF. Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers for preventing the progression of diabetic kidney disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Apr 29;4(4):CD006257. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006257.pub2.

    PubMed 38682786

  • Tillin T, Orchard T, Malm A, Fuller J, Chaturvedi N. The role of antihypertensive therapy in reducing vascular complications of type 2 diabetes. Findings from the DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials-Protect 2 study. J Hypertens. 2011 Jul;29(7):1457-62. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0b013e3283480db9.

    PubMed 21602709

  • Sjolie AK, Klein R, Porta M, Orchard T, Fuller J, Parving HH, Bilous R, Aldington S, Chaturvedi N. Retinal microaneurysm count predicts progression and regression of diabetic retinopathy. Post-hoc results from the DIRECT Programme. Diabet Med. 2011 Mar;28(3):345-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2010.03210.x.

    PubMed 21309844

  • Porta M, Hainer JW, Jansson SO, Malm A, Bilous R, Chaturvedi N, Fuller JH, Klein R, Orchard T, Parving HH, Sjolie AK; DIRECT Study Group. Exposure to candesartan during the first trimester of pregnancy in type 1 diabetes: experience from the placebo-controlled DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials. Diabetologia. 2011 Jun;54(6):1298-303. doi: 10.1007/s00125-010-2040-1. Epub 2011 Jan 12.

    PubMed 21225239

  • Bilous R, Chaturvedi N, Sjolie AK, Fuller J, Klein R, Orchard T, Porta M, Parving HH. Effect of candesartan on microalbuminuria and albumin excretion rate in diabetes: three randomized trials. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Jul 7;151(1):11-20, W3-4. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-1-200907070-00120. Epub 2009 May 18.

    PubMed 19451554

  • Sjolie AK, Klein R, Porta M, Orchard T, Fuller J, Parving HH, Bilous R, Chaturvedi N; DIRECT Programme Study Group. Effect of candesartan on progression and regression of retinopathy in type 2 diabetes (DIRECT-Protect 2): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2008 Oct 18;372(9647):1385-93. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61411-7. Epub 2008 Sep 25.

    PubMed 18823658

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing candesartan in people with Type 2 Diabetes, run by AstraZeneca.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 15 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Jun 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 6 Jun 2014). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of Participants With a 3-step or Greater Increase in Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (EDTRS) Severity Scale (time frame: From baseline to end of study, i.e. 5 years, with visits after a half year, one year and thereafter one visit per year.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00252694, which also lists 6 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Jun 2014.

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