Acyclovir Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Skin, Eye, and Mouth

May 10, 2012 updated by: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

A Placebo-Controlled Phase III Evaluation of Suppressive Therapy With Oral Acyclovir Suspension Following Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infections Limited to the Skin, Eye, and Mouth

The purpose of this study is to test whether long-term treatment with oral acyclovir improves the outcome for infants with herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease of the skin, eyes, and mouth (SEM). Study participants will include infants in the United States and Canada who have HSV disease of the skin, eyes, and mouth, with no central nervous system disease present. Initially, all subjects will be treated with acyclovir administered through IV access (through the vein) for 14 days while hospitalized. Participants will then be placed in one of two groups, acyclovir given by mouth or a placebo (substance with no medication present). The participant and the study site will not know to which group the subject is assigned. All children will be followed at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of age. During the follow up visits, physicals, hearing assessments, eye assessments, and neurological assessments will be completed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease complicates approximately one in every 3,000 births in the United States. This study will be a placebo-controlled Phase III evaluation of suppressive therapy with oral Acyclovir suspension following neonatal HSV infections limited to the skin, eyes, and mouth (SEM). This study will evaluate the efficacy of long-term suppressive therapy with oral acyclovir in infants with SEM disease. It will determine if suppressive oral acyclovir therapy improves neurological outcome in infants following SEM disease. Only infants with SEM disease will qualify for this study. After qualifying for the study and obtaining informed consent, the infant will complete 14 days of intravenous (IV) Acyclovir (20 mg/kg/dose given every 8 hours). Patients will be randomized to receive suppressive oral Acyclovir versus placebo only if they continue to meet all study inclusion criteria at the completion of the IV therapy. This study will be double-blinded and placebo controlled. At the time of randomization, the patient will be placed in 1 of 2 groups (oral suppressive Acyclovir versus placebo). If a patient in either group has a cutaneous HSV recurrence, open-label oral Acyclovir (80 mg/kg/day divided into 4 doses per day) will be provided for 5 days. During the time of administration of open-label oral Acyclovir, study drug will be withheld. All children will be followed at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of age. Physical examination, hearing assessment, and retinal examination will be performed at each follow up visit. Standardized neurologic evaluation will be performed at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months of age.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
29

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Alberta
      • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6R 2C2
        • University of Alberta - Aberhart Centre - Pediatrics
  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
        • University of Alabama at Birmingham
    • Arkansas
      • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72202
        • Arkansas Children's Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases
    • California
      • San Diego, California, United States, 92123
        • Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
      • Stanford, California, United States, 94305-5208
        • Stanford University School of Medicine
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32209
        • University of Florida - College of Medicine - Jacksonville
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
        • The University of Chicago - Comer Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases
    • Kentucky
      • Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
        • Kosair Children's Hospital
    • Louisiana
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70112
        • Tulane University - Tulane Medical Center - Department of Pediatrics
    • Maine
      • Portland, Maine, United States, 04101
        • Maine Medical Center - Department of Pediatric Specialty Care - Infectious Disease
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
        • Johns Hopkins Hospital
    • Michigan
      • Detroit, Michigan, United States, 48201
        • Children's Hospital of Michigan - Pediatric Infectious Diseases
    • Mississippi
      • Jackson, Mississippi, United States, 39216-4505
        • University of Mississippi
    • Missouri
      • St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
        • Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Center for Clinical Studies
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10029
        • Mount Sinai Hospital
      • Syracuse, New York, United States, 13210
        • UNY Upstate Medical University Hospital - Pediatrics
    • North Carolina
      • Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, 28203
        • Carolinas Medical Center
    • Ohio
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45231
        • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44109-1998
        • MetroHealth Medical Center - Pediatric Infectious Disease
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43205
        • Nationwide Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases
    • Oregon
      • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97201-3098
        • Oregon Health and Science University
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903
        • Rhode Island Hospital
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Medical University of South Carolina
    • Tennessee
      • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37232
        • Vanderbilt University
    • Texas
      • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390-9063
        • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
      • Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76104
        • Cook Children's Infectious Disease Services
      • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
        • University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio - Pediatrics - Immunology & Infectious Disease
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98105
        • Seattle Children's Hospital - Infectious Diseases

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 4 weeks (CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Isolation by viral culture of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1or HSV-2 from cutaneous lesions, conjunctivae, or oropharynx. Detection of HSV at any of these sites is sufficient, and the presence of skin lesions is not required for study enrollment.
  • Normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices (<22 white blood cells (WBCs)/mm^3 and protein <115 mg/dl for term infants; (<25 WBCs/mm^3 and protein <220 mg/dl for preterm infants both at the time of diagnosis of HSV disease and at the time of study randomization.
  • No evidence of HSV central nervous system (CNS) disease by computed tomography (CT) with contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium, or head ultrasound (HUS) [NOTE: CT with contrast is the preferred imaging study].
  • Normal electroencephalogram (EEG), if performed [NOTE: EEG is suggested for the evaluation of infants with HSV disease but is not required for this study].
  • No evidence of visceral dissemination of HSV infection (normal liver function tests, normal chest x-ray, etc.).
  • Negative CSF HSV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results from specimens obtained both within 72 hours of initiation of intravenous acyclovir therapy and within 48 hours prior to completion of intravenous acyclovir therapy.
  • Less than or equal to 28 days of age at the time of initial presentation with skin, eyes, and mouth (SEM) disease.
  • Birth weight greater than or equal to equal to 800 grams.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Infants with either grade 3 or grade 4 intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) prior to study enrollment.
  • Breast feeding infants whose mothers are taking acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir for >120 hours (>5 days). If at any point following enrollment the mother takes these antiviral drugs for >120 hours (>5 days), she will be asked to refrain from breast feeding while taking the drug.
  • Infants known to be born to women who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive (but HIV testing is not required for study entry). These infants are at known risk for acquiring HIV, which would alter their immune response to other infections, including HSV infection. Additionally, they may be receiving antiretroviral and/or antiviral drugs during the time in which the study of suppressive oral acyclovir is being conducted. As such, they will be excluded if the mother's positive HIV status is known at the time of evaluation for study inclusion. If at any point following enrollment it is learned that an infant is HIV positive, he/she will be continued on the study protocol.
  • Infants with either central nervous system (CNS) or disseminated HSV infection. Patients with CNS HSV infection will be considered for enrollment and randomization in the ongoing Collaborative Antiviral Study Group (CASG) evaluation of oral suppressive acyclovir therapy following neonatal HSV infections involving the CNS.
  • Infants with creatinine >1.5mg/dl at time of study enrollment.
  • Infants receiving acyclovir expectantly do not qualify for this study because they never developed HSV disease. Expectant therapy describes infants who are cultured at approximately 24 hours of life because of a risk of HSV infection (i.e. they are born to women with active genital lesions). Oftentimes, if these cultures are positive, the infant will receive a course of intravenous acyclovir to prevent the development of HSV disease. However, since they never actually had HSV disease, their potential outcome cannot be compared with infants with typical skin, eyes, and mouth (SEM) disease, and so they are not included in this study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: TRIPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Placebo identical to oral acyclovir suspension in appearance and taste.
EXPERIMENTAL: Acyclovir
Drug: Acyclovir
Oral suspension 300 mg/m^2/dose, 3 times per day (TID), for 6 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participants With Neurologic Impairment at 12 Months as Measured by a Bayley's Neuro-developmental Assessment.(Motor Scores)
Time Frame: At 12 months of life.
Motor scores of all participants completing 6 months of blinded therapy as measured by the Bayleys neuro-developmental assessment at 12 months. Scores are classified as the following: greater than or equal to 115 suggests accelerated performance; 85 - 114 suggests development within normal limits; 70 - 84 suggests mildly delayed development and less than or equal to 69 suggests significant delayed development.
At 12 months of life.
Participants With Neurologic Impairment at 12 Months as Measured by a Bayley's Neuro-developmental Assessment.(Mental Scores)
Time Frame: At 12 months of life.
Mental scores of all participants completing 6 months of blinded therapy as measured by the Bayleys neuro-developmental assessment at 12 months. Scores are classified as the following: less than or equal to 115 suggests accelerated performance; 85 - 114 suggests development within normal limits; 70 - 84 suggests mildly delayed development and less than or equal to 69 suggests significant delayed development.
At 12 months of life.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) DNA in the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) at Anytime During the Initial 12 Months of Life.
Time Frame: post randomization at 12 months
Number of participants with positive herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA by polymerase cahin reaction (PCR) in the cerebrospinal fluid of subjects assessed during the initial 12 months of life.
post randomization at 12 months
Two or Fewer Episodes of Cutaneous Recurrence of HSV Disease Post-randomization During the Initial 12 Months of Life.
Time Frame: post randomization - 12 months
Number of participants experiencing 2 or fewer HSV recurrences during the first 12 months of life as measured by assessments and reports at study visits.
post randomization - 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 1999

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 1, 2008

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 6, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 6, 2002

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 7, 2002

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 16, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 10, 2012

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 97-006
  • N01AI30025C
  • CASG 104

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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