Randomized study of didanosine monotherapy and combination therapy with
zidovudine in hemophilic and nonhemophilic subjects with asymptomatic human
immunodeficiency virus-1 infection. AIDS Clinical Trial Groups
MV Ragni, DA Amato, ML LoFaro, V DeGruttola, C Van Der Horst, ME Eyster, CM Kessler, GF Gjerset, M Ho and DM Parenti
Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA,
USA.
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of didanosine (ddl) monotherapy and
three different combinations of zidovudine (ZDV) and ddl in asymptomatic
human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, we conducted an
open-label, phase I/II study in 126 asymptomatic HIV-1- infected hemophilic
and nonhemophilic subjects with a CD4 count of 200 to 500/mm3 stratified
for prior zidovudine treatment and baseline CD4 count. Study arms included
arm A, low-dose combination (ZDV 150 mg and ddl 134 mg, daily); arm B,
moderate-dose combination (ZDV 300 mg and ddI 334 mg, daily); arm C,
high-dose combination (ZDV 600 mg and ddl 500 mg, daily), and arm D, ddl
monotherapy (ddl 500 mg, daily). Earlier, more frequent hepatotoxicity was
experienced by hemophilic subjects (P = .008), but there were no
differences in toxicity between treatment arms (P = .51), nor were there
any differences in the rate of development of clinical endpoints by
treatment (P = .41). Smaller median CD4 increases occurred over the first
12 weeks for arms A and D, 44/mm3 and 42/mm3, than arms B and C, 105/mm3
and 114/mm3, respectively, (P = .015). Hemophilia status (P = .0004) and
prior ZDV experience (P = .044) independently predicted weaker CD4
responses during the first 12 weeks of treatment. Using a regression model
and adjusting for hemophilia status, prior ZDV treatment, and baseline CD4,
there was a significant reduction in quantitative viral load from baseline
by week 12 for all treatment arms combined (P = .0001), with significantly
lower median percent reduction for arm A (56.3%) than arms B, C, and D
(94.6%, 98.5%, and 91.9%, respectively, P = .015). Although greater
hepatoxicity and weaker CD4 responses occur in hemophilic subjects,
didanosine monotherapy and combination therapy with zidovudine are safe and
effective in asymptomatic HIV-1-infected patients.
Volume 85,
Issue 9,
pp. 2337-2346,
05/01/1995
Copyright © 1995 by The American Society of Hematology