Adjunctive Sertraline for the Treatment of HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis (ASTRO-CM)

Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala, Uganda, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Makerere University

This is a phase III trial to determine whether adjunctive sertraline will lead to improved survival 18-week survival. There was an initial phase I/II unmasked dose finding pharmacokinetic study of CSF concentrations in 172 persons conducted from August 2013 to August 2014. See NCT03002012.

This is a phase III randomized trial to evaluate whether sertraline when added to standard amphotericin-based therapy for cryptococcal meningitis, will lead to improved survival . Cryptococcal meningitis diagnosis will be made via CSF cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) at time of lumbar puncture (LP) with confirmation by CSF culture. After informed consent, subjects that meet eligibility requirements will be able to enter study. A non-randomized phase I dose-escalation study will first be conducted to help optimize dosing for a larger randomized phase II study. Phase III Design: Subjects will be randomized to standard induction therapy with masked placebo or sertraline at 400mg/day. We will use a permutated block randomization in a 1:1 allocation (n=275 per arm). Total anticipated enrollment: 550 subjects.

Standard cryptococcal meningitis therapy with amphotericin (0.7-1.0 mg/kg/day) + fluconazole (800-1200mg/day) + placebo

Standard cryptococcal meningitis therapy with amphotericin (0.7-1.0 mg/kg/day) + fluconazole (800-1200mg/day plus adjunctive sertraline therapy at 400mg/day for 2 weeks, then 200mg for 12 weeks, and then tapered over 3 weeks.

Center for Epidemiologic Studies in Depression (CES-D) scale at 14 weeks. CES-D scores are based on a 20 item survey with total scores ranging from 0 to 60. Higher scores suggest a greater presence of depressive symptoms. A CES-D score of 16 or higher is interpreted to indicate a risk for depression.

Quantitative neurocognitive performance Z-score (QNPZ-8) at 14 weeks. The QNPZ-8 is a mean score of testing of 8 neurocognitive domains. Eqach domain is scaled based on a Z-score where the mean = 0 for the HIV-negative Ugandan population, accounting for age and educational status. Each +1 unit is one standard deviation better than the population norm. Each -1 unit is one standard deviation worse than the population norm.

To determine whether adjunctive sertraline will lead to a faster rate of fungal clearance from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as measured by early fungicidal activity (EFA) of clearance of the Cryptococcus colony forming units (cfu) per mL of CSF per day, compared to standard therapy alone.

Cumulative incidence of central nervous system (CNS) cryptococcal-related paradoxical immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) or culture-positive relapse

Event free survival of composite events of: death,central nervous system (CNS) cryptococcal-related paradoxical immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) or culture-positive relapse.

Inclusion Criteria: Cryptococcal meningitis diagnosed by CSF cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) HIV-1 infection Ability and willingness of the participant or legal guardian/representative to provide informed consent Willing to receive protocol-specified lumbar punctures Exclusion Criteria: Age < 18 years Receipt of >=3 doses of amphotericin therapy Cannot or unlikely to attend regular clinic visits History of known liver cirrhosis Presence of jaundice Pregnancy Current breastfeeding

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