The Safety and Effectiveness of a Two-Drug Combination in the Treatment of Patients With Hepatitis C Plus Advanced HIV Infections

A Phase I Pilot Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Interferon Alfa-2b (IFN Alfa-2b) in Combination With Nucleoside Analog Therapy in Patients With Combined Hepatitis C (HCV) and Advanced Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infections

To investigate the toxicity of interferon alfa-2b ( IFN alfa-2b ) in combination with nucleoside analog therapy in HIV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C. To determine the efficacy of treatment with IFN alfa-2b for chronic hepatitis C in patients with advanced HIV infections treated with nucleoside analog therapy.

IFN alfa-2b has HIV inhibitory properties and has also been approved for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Studies have shown that IFN alfa-2b is effective in asymptomatic HIV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C, but the drug's benefit against hepatitis C in patients with advanced HIV infection has not been determined.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

IFN alfa-2b has HIV inhibitory properties and has also been approved for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Studies have shown that IFN alfa-2b is effective in asymptomatic HIV-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C, but the drug's benefit against hepatitis C in patients with advanced HIV infection has not been determined.

Patients receive interferon alpha-2b subcutaneously 3 times weekly for 6 months. If no response is seen after 18 weeks of therapy or if an initial response is followed by relapse while on therapy, dose is increased. Patients who require a dose escalation should continue on IFN alfa-2b for an additional 6 months. All patients will also receive available nucleoside analog therapy ( zidovudine, didanosine, zalcitabine ) at currently accepted doses as clinically appropriate.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

10

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

    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States
        • USC CRS
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 462025250
        • Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Infectious Disease Research Clinic
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • NY Univ. HIV/AIDS CRS

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

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

  • Treatment or suppression of opportunistic infections with standard drugs.
  • Pneumovax, HIB, tetanus, influenza, and hepatitis B vaccines.
  • Clinically indicated antibiotics.
  • Short courses of steroids (< 21 days) for acute problems not related to hepatitis C.
  • Other regularly prescribed medications such as analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antipyretics, allergy medications, and oral contraceptives.

Patients must have:

  • HIV positivity.
  • Documented hepatitis C virus.
  • CD4 count <= 200 cells/mm3.
  • No severe liver disease (Grade C Childs-Pugh classification) or chronic liver disease not caused by hepatitis C.
  • Willingness to be followed for the duration of treatment and follow-up period.

Prior Medication:

Allowed:

  • Prior AZT, ddI, and ddC.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following symptoms or conditions are excluded:

  • Hepatitis B (HBsAg positive).
  • Autoimmune hepatitis (FANA titer >= 1:160 and anti-smooth muscle antibody titer >= 1:160).
  • Wilson's disease.
  • alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
  • Hemochromatosis.
  • Malignancy requiring systemic chemotherapy.

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

  • Nonnucleoside analog therapy for HIV.
  • Biologic response modifiers.
  • Systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy.
  • Chronic systemic steroid use.

Concurrent Treatment:

Excluded:

  • Radiation therapy other than local irradiation to the skin.

Prior Medication:

Excluded:

  • Prednisone within 12 weeks prior to study entry (if patient has received prior daily doses for 1 month or longer duration).
  • Acute therapy for an infection within 2 weeks prior to study entry.

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.

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Gill JC

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 Completion (Actual)

September 1, 1996

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)

April 30, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2012

Last Verified

April 1, 2012

More Information

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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