Anti-HIV drugs, especially protease inhibitors (PIs), have been linked to lipid metabolism problems, including elevations in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), triglycerides, and total cholesterol. Ezetimibe is a lipid-controlling drug; statins are part of another class of lipid-lowering drugs popularly prescribed to people with high cholesterol. The purpose of this study is to determine the safety, effectiveness, and tolerability of ezetimibe in combination with statin therapy in adults who are taking anti-HIV drugs and have high cholesterol. Study hypothesis: In HIV infected adults, ezetimibe in combination with statin therapy will result in significantly lower LDL-c compared to statin therapy alone.
Lipid metabolism abnormalities are common complications of HIV therapy, particularly with PIs. Statins and other lipid-lowering agents are often prescribed to control elevated cholesterol levels in both HIV infected and uninfected people. However, both antiretroviral therapy (ART) and lipid-lowering drugs may be associated with cardiovascular disease, so there is a clear need to find a lipid-lowering drug with low toxicity. This study will evaluate the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of ezetimibe, a lipid-controlling agent, in combination with ongoing statin therapy in HIV infected people currently on ART. This study will last 28 weeks. All participants will be required to continue their current stable statin therapy and ART for the duration of the study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two arms. Arm 1 participants will receive ezetimibe daily for 12 weeks, no treatment for 4 weeks, then placebo daily for 12 weeks. Arm 2 participants will receive placebo daily for 12 weeks, no treatment for 4 weeks, and then ezetimibe daily for 12 weeks. There will be 9 study visits; they will occur at study screening, at study entry, and every 4 weeks thereafter. Clinical assessment and blood collection will occur at all visits. Participants will be asked to complete an adherence questionnaire at Weeks 4, 12, 20, and 28, and will also be encouraged to coenroll in ACTG A5128 (Consent for Use of Stored Patient Specimens for Future Testing).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
44
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
UCLA School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California, United States
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, United States
University of California, San Diego Antiviral Research Center
San Diego, California, United States
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco, California, United States
Change in directly measured fasting LDL-c while receiving ezetimibe compared to change while receiving placebo
changes in clinical symptoms and safety labs while receiving ezetimibe compared to changes in clinical symptoms while receiving placebo
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San Mateo County AIDS Program
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