Valacyclovir vs. Acyclovir as HSV-2 Suppressive Therapy: Effect on Plasma HIV-1 Levels Among HIV-1/HSV-2 Co-infected Persons (ACV-VAL)

March 10, 2014 updated by: Connie Celum, University of Washington

A Randomized, Open-label, Crossover Trial of the Effect of High-dose Daily HSV-2 Suppressive Therapy on Plasma HIV-1 Levels Among HIV-1/HSV-2 Co-infected Persons

The purpose of this study is to determine whether treating HSV-2 with either valacyclovir or acyclovir is more effective in suppressing HIV-1 virus levels in people co-infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Sexual transmission is responsible for the vast majority of HIV-1 infections among adults worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region hardest hit by the HIV-1 epidemic, HSV-2 prevalences of 30-50% have been seen in the general population with prevalence up to 90% in infected with HIV-1. HSV-2 is common in those with, or at risk for, HIV-1 infection, and HSV-2 reactivation increases HIV-1 acquisition and infectiousness. Recent studies have shown that suppression of HSV-2 has a sustained effect on lowering HIV-1 levels in blood plasma. New data have raised the question whether higher doses of HSV-2 suppressive therapy might be more effective at suppressing HIV-1 levels. Acyclovir and valacyclovir, chosen for use in this study, are safe and effective treatments for decreasing the frequency of HSV-2 reactivation and shedding. The standard dose of acyclovir is 400 mg twice a day. Valacyclovir, a drug that converts to acyclovir after absorption, delivers higher concentrations of acyclovir. 1.5 grams of valacyclovir, will be used to provide a higher dose of acyclovir, and will be compared with the standard dose of 400 mg twice a day of acyclovir.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • Phase 4

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

  • Kenya
      • Thika, Kenya
        • Thika Partners in Prevention

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

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • HIV-1 seropositive
  • Not on HIV-1 antiretroviral therapy nor planning to initiate antiretroviral therapy during the study period
  • CD4 cell count >250 cell/µL
  • Not otherwise eligible for antiretroviral therapy according to Uganda national guidelines
  • Detectable HIV-1 plasma viral load
  • HSV-2 seropositive
  • Not intending to move out of the area for the duration of study participation.
  • Able to participate in the study at the Partners in Prevention site in Thika, Kenya

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known history of adverse reaction to acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir.
  • Planned use of acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir
  • Use of ganciclovir, foscarnet, or cidofovir
  • Known medical history of seizures
  • Serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dL
  • AST or ALT >3 times upper limit of normal
  • Hematocrit <30 %
  • Absolute neutrophil count <1000
  • Platelet count <75,000
  • History of thrombotic microangiopathy
  • Any other condition which, in the opinion of the principal investigator, may compromise the ability to follow study procedures and complete the study
  • Participation in another HIV therapeutics trial
  • For women, pregnancy as confirmed by a urine pregnancy test

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: CROSSOVER
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: acyclovir
acyclovir 400 mg orally twice daily
Drug: acyclovir
acyclovir 400 mg orally, twice daily for 12 weeks
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: valacyclovir
valacyclovir 1.5 g orally twice daily
Drug: valacyclovir
valacyclovir 1.5 g orally, twice daily, for 12 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean Level of HIV-1 RNA in Plasma of Participants While on Acyclovir or Valacyclovir.
Time Frame: Weekly for 12 weeks per intervention
Mean level of HIV-1 RNA in plasma of participants while on 400 mg twice daily of acyclovir versus while on 1.5 g twice daily of valacyclovir.
Weekly for 12 weeks per intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Safety of Valacyclovir 1.5 Gram Orally Twice Daily in HIV-1 Seropositive Persons.
Time Frame: 28 weeks
28 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Washington

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

February 1, 2010

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

November 1, 2010

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

December 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 2, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 3, 2009

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

December 4, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

April 8, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2014

Last Verified

March 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 37162-A

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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