The METHOD study will examine whether adding metformin to standard antibiotic treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in people with HIV is safe and well tolerated. The study will also test if adding metformin clears the infection more quickly and with less lung damage. When enrolled, participants will have an equal chance of being in the group that takes standard TB medicines alone or in the group that also takes metformin. Participants will have a chance to be put on either: 1) standard TB medicines (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide for two months, continuing isoniazid and rifampin for four more months) only; or 2) the same standard TB medicines plus metformin. Participants randomized to the metformin arm will take metformin for eleven weeks, starting one week after starting the standard TB medicines. In addition to monitoring for side effects, all participants will have studies of drug levels and lung and immune function.
The METHOD trial is a Phase II A randomized, open-label trial of metformin added to standard anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in TB/HIV co-infected patients. HIV-positive adults (treated or ART-naïve) newly diagnosed with sputum culture-positive, drug-sensitive pulmonary TB will be recruited to and enrolled in the study. All participants in the interventional study will take standard ATT for drug-sensitive pulmonary TB starting at enrollment. Participants in the metformin arm will begin taking metformin 1 week later and metformin will be stopped on week-12. The "omics" control group will include those (treated or ART-naïve) without evidence of active TB. The total cohort is sample size N=112, comprising 56 participants each in two parallel study arms (standard therapy or standard therapy plus metformin) with the goal of retaining 100 participants with evaluable data for analysis. The duration of the METHOD trial is 5 years. The duration of individual participation in the interventional arms of the study is 36 weeks, not including an initial period of screening over an interval of up to 14 additional days prior to study enrollment. The final clinic visit coincides with the completion of ATT at week-24. The final follow-up contact is a phone interview at week-36. Ten consenting participants from each study arm (n=20 total) will have intensive pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) sampling. The remaining 92 participants will have sparse PK/PD sampling.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
112
Isoniazid, dose prescribed by participant's physician, will be taken by mouth daily. Isoniazid, is in a combination pill pack with the other standard ATT medications.
Rifampicin, dose prescribed by participant's physician, will be taken by mouth daily. Rifampicin is in a combination pill pack with the other standard ATT medications.
Ethambutol, dose prescribed by participant's physician, will be taken by mouth daily. Ethambutol is in a combination pill pack with the other standard ATT medications.
Pyrazinamide, dose prescribed by participant's physician, will be taken by mouth daily. Pyrazinamide is in a combination pill pack with the other standard ATT medications.
Metformin hydrochloride 500 mg tablet once daily starting one week after the initiation of TB treatment, then increasing to study twice daily through study week-12 (11 weeks total metformin treatment).
Tembisa Clinical Research Centre-The Aurum Institute
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Safety and tolerability of metformin as measured by the number of grade 3 or higher gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events
Average and median numbers of Grade 3, 4 and 5 adverse events will be tabulated by treatment arm
Time frame: Up to 16 weeks
Metformin added to standard ATT improves respiratory health as measured by radiographic score
Between arm differences of change in radiographic score will be tabulated by arm and time point.
Time frame: Change in baseline radiographic score at week 24
Metformin added to standard ATT improves respiratory health as measured by 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT) as assessed by distance x 02 saturation (2° endpoint)
Between arm differences of change in 6MWT distance oxygen saturation will be tabulated by arm and time point.
Time frame: Change in baseline 6MWT at week 24
Metformin added to standard ATT improves respiratory health as measured by spirometry: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
Between arm differences of change in spirometric values will be tabulated by arm and time point.
Time frame: Change in baseline spirometric value at week 24
Metformin added to standard ATT improves respiratory health as measured by spirometry: Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1%) (2° endpoint)
Between arm differences of change in spirometric values will be tabulated by arm and time point.
Time frame: Change in baseline spirometric value at week 24
Metformin added to standard ATT improves respiratory health as measured by Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) assessed by 2° endpoint
Between arm differences of change in SGRQ score will be tabulated by arm and timepoint.
Time frame: Change in baseline SGRQ at week 24
Metformin added to standard ATT improves HIV outcomes as measured by HIV viral load
Between-arm differences of HIV viral load
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
Metformin added to standard ATT improves HIV outcomes as measured by CD4
Between-arm differences in CD4
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
Metformin added to standard ATT improves HIV outcomes as measured by T cell count
Between-arm differences of T cell count
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
Metformin added to standard ATT improves TB treatment outcomes
Between arm differences will be tabulated in the secondary endpoints of cure, failure, death, default, and relapse.
Time frame: Up to 24 weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.