Patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy are less likely to see their illness worsen to proliferative and vision-threatening disease if they are taking fenofibrates, a US study says.

The researchers say the findings support the inclusion of fenofibrate in the management of diabetic retinopathy, a move backed by the TGA eight years ago when it approved the drug for use in patients with type 2 diabetes and existing disease. 

The drug may have a wider role than now in treating patients with non-proliferative disease, according to researcher Dr Brian VanderBeek, although further clinical trial were needed, he said.

In a very large real-world population without well-defined severity levels of disease “we still found a significant protective effect”, said Dr VanderBeek, who is assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.