Active clinical trials for "HIV Infections"

Little is known about what treatment combinations are best for HIV infected children. This study examined the long-term effectiveness of different anti-HIV drug combinations in children and strategies for switching treatment if the first treatment does not work. The study enrolled children who had not previously taken anti-HIV medication. Participants in this study were recruited in the United States, South America and Europe. Some European children may also enroll in a substudy that will observe changes in body fat in children taking anti-HIV medications.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate DPC 817. The safety, dosages, and how the body responds to the drug will be studied.

This study will evaluate whether the HIV vaccine ALVAC vCP1452 given in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2), also known as aldesleukin, can increase immune system function in people with HIV infection.

This study will evaluate a new treatment strategy called therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in HIV-infected children and adolescents. TDM involves analyzing the virus, giving drugs the virus is most sensitive to, monitoring drug blood levels to make sure there is enough drug to work against the virus, and changing the drug dose if it is too low. HIV-infected children between 0 and 21 years of age who may benefit from treatment with a protease inhibitor and who are not benefiting from their current antiretroviral drug treatment regimen may be enrolled in this 48-week study. Patients who are not currently receiving antiretroviral treatment, including patients who have never received antiretroviral treatment, may be enrolled in the study. Participants will have blood drawn to learn what anti-HIV drugs the patient's virus is resistant to-that is, what drugs are no longer effective against the virus. This is determined by analyzing the virus's genotype (detailed genetic structure) and phenotype (response to exposure to anti-viral drugs). Based on these test results and the patient's prior medication history, a drug regimen tailored to the individual patient will be prescribed. It may include one or two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, such as zidovudine, didanosine, lamuvidine, zalcitabine, stavudine), a non- nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor such as nevirapine or efavirenz, and a protease inhibitor such as amprenavir, nelfinavir, saquinavir, ritonavir, or Kaletra (a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir). After the patients begin treatment, the amount of the protease inhibitor in the blood will be measured. If not enough of the drug is found in the blood, the dose of the drug will be increased and the amount of the drug in the blood will be checked again. In this study, the dose may be increased up to three times. Patients will be seen in clinic for 6 days when treatment begins to measure blood levels of the medicines and evaluate the response of the virus. Treatment will then continue on an outpatient basis. Drug levels will be measured periodically throughout the study. The viral load will also be measured and additional tests to determine whether the resistance pattern of the patients' virus has changed. In addition, patients will undergo the following tests and procedures at various times throughout the study, more frequently for the first few months and then less often: Blood tests to measure cell counts and viral load Routine laboratory tests to measure kidney, liver, bone marrow, and other organ functioning Eye and neuropsychologic examinations Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) Electrocardiogram (EKG - heart rhythm test) Chest X-ray Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head Skin tests To make sure the medicines work, they must be taken as directed. In addition, since higher than usual doses of some of the anti-HIV drugs may be given, it will be important to know whether the patients are taking all of the medicine that has been prescribed. This study will therefore also measure patients' adherence to their medication regimen in two ways: 1) some medicines will be packaged in a bottle with an electronic medicine bottle cap that will record when the bottle is opened, and 2) patients and their parents will be interviewed by phone or in person at various times during the study about adherence and may be asked to fill out forms that record the number of doses taken. This will allow the doctor and patient to work together to make sure the medicines are being taken properly. Patients and parents will also be interviewed periodically about their understanding of HIV disease, about social supports that are available, and about the child's emotional adjustment.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of massage therapy on depression, quality of life and plasma cortisol levels in subjects with advanced HIV disease.

Even though powerful anti-HIV drug combinations have been successful in patients with little or no prior anti-HIV therapy, studies have shown that these treatments are less effective in patients who have been treated with nucleoside analogues. This study will test the safety and effectiveness of adding one or two new drugs to a personalized anti-HIV regimen for patients whose previous HIV treatments have failed.

This Phase 2a study involving Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) will provide extended safety data for high-risk men. Secondarily, the study will assess the feasibility of conducting the trial and evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of TDF 300 mg as an HIV prevention method when taken once a day.

Currently, the preferred anti-HIV regimens used in the United States consist of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (EFV). However, with new anti-HIV drugs being approved, alternative regimens need to be tested to determine if new drug combinations have increased effectiveness in treating HIV. The purpose of this study is to test the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of four different regimens in HIV-infected adults who have never taken anti-HIV drugs.

Expected Enrollment: 40 patients Study Start Date: June 2005 Study Objectives: To conduct a pilot study to assess the safety, tolerability, and antiviral activity of Kaletra 400/100 mg taken twice a day (bid) in antiretroviral (ARV)-naïve HIV-infected patients at Week 48 Primary Objectives: To determine the proportion of patients with HIV RNA <400 copies/mL at weeks 24 and 48 To determine the proportion of patients with HIV RNA < 50 at weeks 24 and 48 To elucidate the specific adverse event (AE) profile of Kaletra single agent therapy Secondary Objectives: To assess the proportion of patients below the limit of quantification (LOQ) at each visit. Patients will be observed at baseline, weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44 and 48. To determine the time to HIV RNA reaching <400 and <50 copies/mL To determine the time to virologic failure To assess change from baseline at each visit for HIV RNA and CD4 count at weeks 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48. To assess changes in genotype from baseline to time of confirmed virologic failure (2 consecutive HIV RNA measurements >400 copies/mL after suppressing to <400 copies/mL) or at time of treatment intensification. To characterize changes in lipid and triglyceride concentrations over time and the effect of treatment with appropriate drugs (fibrate or statin, if necessary) on these elevations. To evaluate the safety and tolerability of subjects through 48 weeks of drug exposure. To describe virologic response following intensification in Kaletra single agent virologic failures

The study will measure how safe and effective AVX754 (a new drug for the treatment of HIV) is in treating HIV-1 infected people who have failed treatment with lamivudine.