New Therapies for the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Updated Review of Clinical Trials

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are the most costly and serious complication for patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Among patients with DM, 4% annually and up to one third in their entire lifetime may experience a DFU. The majority of DFU do not heal in a timely fashion and non-healing is associated with complications including skin, soft tissue, bone and systemic infection as well as the need for amputation. While education and advances in standard care for DFU have occurred, more research is critical to identify new and better therapies for patients with DFU. In this review, we examine ongoing clinical trials (through clinicaltrials.gov) on treatments for DFU. Our review focuses on new, upcoming therapies, including topical agents, dressings, engineered tissue, cell therapy, growth factors, devices, and herbal/natural remedies. The preclinical background information for each of these new therapies is also reviewed and discussed.