A Study of Azithromycin Plus Pyrimethamine in the Treatment of a Brain Infection in Patients With AIDS

August 25, 2008 updated by: Pfizer

A Dose-Escalation, Phase I/II Study of Oral Azithromycin and Pyrimethamine for the Treatment of Toxoplasmic Encephalitis in Patients With AIDS

To evaluate the effectiveness and toxicity of oral azithromycin and pyrimethamine as acute therapy for toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients. To assess the toxicity and effectiveness of azithromycin alone as maintenance therapy.

Encephalitis caused by Toxoplasma gondii is the most frequent cause of focal central nervous system infection in patients with AIDS. Untreated, the encephalitis is fatal. Standard treatment for toxoplasmic encephalitis is associated with serious adverse effects. Thus, alternative treatments are needed.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Encephalitis caused by Toxoplasma gondii is the most frequent cause of focal central nervous system infection in patients with AIDS. Untreated, the encephalitis is fatal. Standard treatment for toxoplasmic encephalitis is associated with serious adverse effects. Thus, alternative treatments are needed.

Patients with toxoplasmosis are given azithromycin at doses starting at the lowest dose for the first cohort, an intermediate dose for the second cohort, and a higher dose for the third cohort. Subsequent cohorts may receive azithromycin in increased dosage, if needed to determine the MTD. All patients also receive pyrimethamine. Folinic acid is also provided for as long as patients receive pyrimethamine. Patients are evaluated for clinical response to treatment at days 3, 7, and 14, and weekly for 6 weeks. Maintenance treatment with azithromycin continues for an additional 24 weeks. Patients who complete the study period without relapse or significant toxicity are offered continued therapy by the drug company and are followed for survival and relapse on a monthly basis for 1 year. After the MTD is determined, a subsequent cohort may be added for special studies.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

45

Phase

  • Phase 1

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

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
        • Los Angeles County - USC Med Ctr
    • Florida
      • Miami, Florida, United States, 331361013
        • Univ of Miami School of Medicine
    • Massachusetts
      • Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, 01655
        • Univ of Massachusetts Med Ctr
    • New York
      • Bronx, New York, United States, 10461
        • Bronx Municipal Hosp Ctr/Jacobi Med Ctr
      • Bronx, New York, United States, 10467
        • Montefiore Med Ctr / Bronx Municipal Hosp
      • Bronx, New York, United States, 10468
        • Bronx Veterans Administration / Mount Sinai Hosp
      • East Meadow, New York, United States, 11554
        • Nassau County Med Ctr
      • New York, New York, United States, 10021
        • Cornell Univ Med Ctr
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • Bellevue Hosp / New York Univ Med Ctr
      • Stony Brook, New York, United States, 117948153
        • SUNY - Stony Brook
    • South Carolina
      • West Columbia, South Carolina, United States, 29169
        • Julio Arroyo

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

Ages Eligible for Study

9 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

  • Aerosolized pentamidine for prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
  • Allowed during maintenance period (weeks 7 - 24):
  • Zidovudine and other antiretrovirals available through treatment IND mechanisms, ganciclovir, and maintenance doses of amphotericin (other investigational therapies require permission from the study chair), steroids for the treatment of acute PCP.
  • Isoniazid (INH) only for patients already on INH.

Patients must have the following:

  • HIV infection or belong to high-risk group. Presumptive or definite diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis.
  • Each patient, or his/her appropriate family member, or legal designee must be able to understand and sign a written informed consent, in accordance with the local practices at each site.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following conditions or symptoms are excluded:

  • History of cerebral toxoplasmosis or toxoplasmosis infection in any other organ or tissue.
  • Coma.
  • More than 72 hours of treatment for current episode of toxoplasmic encephalitis prior to study entry.
  • Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma.
  • Cerebral Kaposi's sarcoma.
  • Active hepatitis or clinical jaundice.
  • History of serious hypersensitivity or intolerance to any of the study drugs.
  • Serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) positive for cryptococcus antigen or culture.
  • Malignancies requiring use of cytotoxic chemotherapy.
  • Inability to take oral therapy reliably.
  • Malabsorption syndrome.

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

  • Opportunistic infection requiring either acute treatment or maintenance therapy with azithromycin, erythromycin or other macrolides, sulfonamides, amphotericin, dapsone, ganciclovir, antifolates, and other investigational agents except erythropoietin. For first 6 weeks of treatment, patients may not receive treatment with erythromycin (or other macrolides), sulfonamides, immunomodulators with the exception of alpha interferon, lymphocyte replacement, cytotoxic chemotherapy, dapsone, ganciclovir, rifampicin, coumadin, antiretrovirals, and investigational agents other than erythropoietin.

Patients with the following are excluded:

  • Negative HIV antibodies by a federally licensed ELISA, unless there is documentation of a previously positive HIV culture or p24 antigen.
  • Infections of the central nervous system.
  • Malignancies requiring the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy.
  • Any medical or social condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would adversely affect participation and/or compliance 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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Pfizer

Collaborators

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Luft B
  • Study Chair: Remington J

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 Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 2, 1999

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2001

First Posted (Estimate)

August 31, 2001

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 26, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 25, 2008

Last Verified

October 1, 1994

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ACTG 156

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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