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.