A recent study discovered that an inexpensive HIV drug could be effective for diabetic people by reversing a complication that may cause permanent blindness.
According to research published in the journal Med, the drug, lamivudine, which helps in improving vision that’s being threatened by diabetic macular edema (DME), an eye condition which accumulates fluid in the retina.
A senior researcher and founding director of the University of Virginia Health’s Center for Advanced Vision Science Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, stated:
“An oral drug that improves vision in DME would be a game changer because it would be more convenient for patients than frequent, often monthly, injections into the eye.”
The macula is the central part of the retina, which turns light into signals for the brain. In macular edema, leaky blood vessels cause the macula to swell causing blurry vision and potential blindness.
Individuals with diabetic macular edema (DME) are treated with ordinary eye injections that inhibit the growth of new blood vessels.
However, researchers discovered that lamivudine, an HIV drug, would assist DME by inhibiting inflammasomes.
These are immune system chemicals that trigger inflammation associated with DME.
For the study, researchers gathered data from 24 patients with DME who were enrolled between February 2022 and September 2023.
Ten consumed 150 mg of lamivudine twice daily for eight weeks, while 14 were given a placebo. To note, both groups were also injected with bevacizumab.
Results indicated that patients who received lamivudine could be able to read up to 10 more letters on an eye chart, while placebo patients lost up to two letters.
By eight weeks, the lamivudine group received 17 letters, over three lines over the chart. While the placebo group showed little improvement with bevacizumab alone.
Researchers say an inexpensive oral pill like lamivudine could minimise the need for expensive injections. However, further studies are required to confirm its effectiveness.
