Combination Drug Treatment of Pediatric HIV Infection

HIV Infection Clinical Trial

Official title: A Pilot Study of Hydroxyurea in Combination With Stavudine, Didanosine and Efavirenz in Pediatric Patients With HIV-1 Infection

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will test the safety and effectiveness of hydroxyurea, an anti-cancer drug, given together with the anti-HIV drugs didanosine, stavudine and efavirenz for treating children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Some studies have found that hydroxyurea may help certain anti-HIV drugs to work better and that the virus does not become resistant to it, as it does other drugs. This study will also examine how hydroxyurea affects the body's immune system and virus levels.

Patients 3 through 21 years old with HIV infection may be eligible for this 52-week study. They will be screened for eligibility with a thorough physical examination, including chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, head CT scan, eye examination and blood tests.

All patients in the study will take didanosine twice a day, stavudine twice a day and efavirenz once a day. All patients will also take hydroxyurea twice a day, but some will take a low dose of the drug, while others will take a high dose. Within each of these two groups (high and low dose) some patients will start taking hydroxyurea the same day they begin the anti-HIV drugs; others will not start hydroxyurea until after they have taken the anti-HIV drugs for 5 weeks. Patients will have a physical examination every 3 weeks until week 12, then every 4 weeks until week 24, and then every 8 weeks until the end of the study. Blood tests to measure virus levels will be done every other day for the first 7 days and periodically after that. For the first 8 weeks after starting hydroxyurea, blood tests will be done weekly. An eye examination, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and CT scans of the head will be done about every 6 months.

Clinical Trial Description

This is a pilot study to determine the safety, toxicity, virologic and immunologic effects of combination therapy with hydroxyurea, a cytostatic chemotherapeutic agent, two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor in children with HIV infection. We will enroll HIV-infected children who have detectable viral loads (greater than 10,000 copies/ml). Patients will be stratified upon enrollment by CD4 cell count (less than or greater than 200 CD4 cells/mm(3)). Two dose levels of hydroxyurea will be utilized (7.5 mg/kg/dose twice daily and 12.5 mg/kg/dose twice daily). It is anticipated that 15 patients will be enrolled at the Low Dose Level and 10 patients at the High Dose Level of hydroxyurea within each CD4 cohort, for a total of 50 patients on study. Within each dose level patients will receive the antiretroviral agents didanosine, stavudine and efavirenz beginning on study Day one and will be randomized to receive hydroxyurea either on Day 1 or week 6. The cohorts will be escalated and analyzed separately. The study duration will be 52 weeks. This study will attempt to define an effective and tolerable dose of hydroxyurea. ;

Study Design

Endpoint Classification: Safety Study, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• HIV Infection
• HIV Infections
• Infection

• NCT number: NCT00001818
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: June 1999
• Completion date: November 2001