A Study of Several Anti-HIV Drug Combinations in HIV-Infected Patients Who Have Used Indinavir

Overview

To compare the proportion of patients whose plasma HIV-1 RNA is below 500 copies/ml after 16 weeks of treatment. To assess the safety, toxicity, and tolerance of each treatment arm. While indinavir is currently the most commonly prescribed protease inhibitor, the optimal therapy for a person on an indinavir-containing regimen who experiences a rebound in viral load or never experiences a decrease in viral load below 500 copies per milliliter is unknown. Current clinical practice for such patients typically involves empiric use of a combination of other protease inhibitors (saquinavir/nelfinavir or saquinavir/ritonavir) and at least 1 other antiretroviral agent to which the patient has had little or no prior exposure. This may involve the use of 1 or more reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) or nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). This study attempts to formally evaluate some of these options in indinavir-experienced patients.

While indinavir is currently the most commonly prescribed protease inhibitor, the optimal therapy for a person on an indinavir-containing regimen who experiences a rebound in viral load or never experiences a decrease in viral load below 500 copies per milliliter is unknown. Current clinical practice for such patients typically involves empiric use of a combination of other protease inhibitors (saquinavir/nelfinavir or saquinavir/ritonavir) and at least 1 other antiretroviral agent to which the patient has had little or no prior exposure. This may involve the use of 1 or more reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) or nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). This study attempts to formally evaluate some of these options in indinavir-experienced patients. Patients are stratified by HIV RNA (2,000 - 20,000 copies/ml versus 20,000 - 200,000 copies/ml), and randomized to 1 of 6 treatment arms as follows: Arm A: Saquinavir (SQV) plus ritonavir (RTV) plus delavirdine (DLV) plus adefovir dipivoxil placebo. Arm B: SQV plus RTV plus DLV placebo plus adefovir dipivoxil. Arm C: SQV plus RTV plus DLV plus adefovir dipivoxil. Arm D: SQV plus nelfinavir (NFV) plus DLV plus adefovir dipivoxil placebo. Arm E: SQV plus NFV plus DLV placebo plus adefovir dipivoxil. Arm F: SQV plus NFV plus DLV plus adefovir dipivoxil. In addition to assigned study treatment patients receive an L-carnitine supplement. Therapy is administered for 24 weeks. Patients who have an average HIV RNA value for Weeks 12 and 16 that is less than 5,000 copies or a least 1 log below their baseline value may continue their assigned study treatment for an additional 24 weeks. \[AS PER AMENDMENT 3/30/98: Subjects with plasma HIV RNA greater than 5,000 copies/ml may elect to continue or discontinue study medications in the treatment extension and seek the best available treatment.\] \[AS PER AMENDMENT 06/11/98: The dose of adefovir dipivoxil is reduced at or after Week 16. Alternatively, patients may discontinue adefovir dipivoxil/placebo and substitute appropriate antiretroviral agent(s) or add appropriate antiretroviral agent(s) to their reduced-dose regimen. Also, at the discretion of the protocol chairperson, patients who have been on study for more than 16 weeks may substitute appropriate FDA-approved antiretroviral agent(s) for any study medication that must be discontinued because of toxicity. Addition of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, or investigational agents is specifically excluded.\]