Original design: The study's purpose is to compare the effects of zidovudine (AZT) alone to the combination of AZT and acyclovir (ACV) to determine if AZT/ACV is associated with a lower death rate and fewer AIDS related opportunistic infections compared to AZT alone, and to investigate the effect of these treatment plans on cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections. The study evaluates two doses of AZT used alone versus two doses of AZT combined with ACV. Per 12/11/92 amendment: Another antiretroviral agent may be substituted for AZT. AZT has been shown to increase the life span of patients with AIDS or advanced AIDS related complex and patients being treated for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Drugs that increase the effectiveness of AZT against HIV may also decrease the need for high doses of AZT. This might reduce some of the negative effects of AZT while not reducing the positive effects.

Condition	Treatment or Intervention	Phase
HIV Infections	Drug: Zidovudine  Drug: Acyclovir	Phase II

Further Study Details: 

Expected Total Enrollment:  400

AZT has been shown to increase the life span of patients with AIDS or advanced AIDS related complex and patients being treated for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Drugs that increase the effectiveness of AZT against HIV may also decrease the need for high doses of AZT. This might reduce some of the negative effects of AZT while not reducing the positive effects.

AMENDED: Patients are randomly assigned to one of two treatment regimens. They receive AZT (or other antiretroviral agent) with or without ACV. Treatment Plan 1: AZT along with placebo at the same time. Treatment Plan 2: AZT and ACV. Therapy is for 104 weeks with an optional extension of 24 weeks or until the end of the study whichever comes first. The maximum duration of therapy for any patient will be 128 weeks. Medication is dispensed on a biweekly basis for the first 4 weeks, then every other month for the remainder of the study. Original design: Patients are randomly assigned to one of four treatment plans to receive AZT alone or AZT and ACV. Medications are given every 4 hours (q4h) orally (PO) while awake (WA). A total of 5 doses/day are given. The per dose schedule for the four plans are: Treatment plan 1: AZT plus placebo (an inactive medication) substituting for ACV. Treatment plan 2: AZT and AZT placebo along with an ACV placebo. Treatment plan 3: AZT and ACV. Treatment plan 4: AZT and AZT placebo and ACV.

Ages Eligible for Study:  13 Years and above,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication: Allowed:

• Methadone maintenance. Therapies available through expanded access or treatment IND programs unless specifically excluded.
• Allowed within 30 days of study entry:
• Systemic steroids only if given for treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
• Recommended:
• PCP prophylaxis.

Patient must have:

• Recovered from first episode of histologically proven Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) or microbiologically proven AIDS-defining opportunistic infection as defined in Centers for Disease Control HIV classification group IV.
• C-1.
• Study entry must be within 120 days of AIDS-defining diagnosis.
• Written documentation of positive antibody to HIV by any federally licensed ELISA test kit. This test should be confirmed by another method, for example, Western blot, radioimmunoassay (RIA), HIV culture.
• Patients cannot be transfusion dependent (requiring blood transfusion more than once per month). The last transfusion must be > 2 weeks before entry.
• AMENDED 90-08-27 to include HIV positive patients with CD4+ count < 200 cells/mm3.

Prior Medication: Allowed:

• Zidovudine (AZT) for < 365 days prior to study entry.

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition: Patients with the following are excluded:

• Symptomatic visceral or progressive Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) (defined by > 10 new lesions in the 30 days prior to entry).
• Other concurrent neoplasms other than basal cell carcinoma of skin (patients who have been in complete remission for 1 year for a malignancy may be enrolled).
• Malabsorption as defined by persistent diarrhea > 6 stools/day for > 4 weeks. Patients whose sole AIDS-defining condition is constitutional disease as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-A or neurologic disease as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-B or AIDS-associated malignancies as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-C. Concurrent Medication: Excluded:
• Acyclovir (ACV) prophylaxis or frequent (> once per month) repeated courses of ACV therapy for herpes simplex virus infection.
• Any concomitant medicine unless required.
• Systemic therapy/prophylaxis/maintenance for AIDS-defining opportunistic infection other than prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
• Acetaminophen for > 72 hours. Cimetidine.
• Flurazepam.
• Indomethacin.
• Ranitidine.
• Probenecid (if receiving AZT).
• Rifampin.
• Rifampin-related drugs. Patients with the following are excluded:
• Active opportunistic infections.
• Symptomatic visceral or progressive Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) (defined by > 10 new lesions in the 30 days prior to entry).
• Other concurrent neoplasms other than basal cell carcinoma of skin (patients who have been in complete remission for 1 year for a malignancy may be enrolled).
• Malabsorption as defined by persistent diarrhea > 6 stools/day for > 4 weeks.
• Patients whose sole AIDS-defining condition is constitutional disease as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-A or neurologic disease as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-B or AIDS-associated malignancies as defined in CDC's HIV group IV-C.

Prior Medication: Excluded:

• Zidovudine (AZT) for > 365 days prior to study entry.
• Excluded within 14 days of study entry:
• Systemic acyclovir (ACV) therapy.
• Excluded within 30 days of study entry:
• Antiretroviral therapy (other than AZT per above).
• Immunomodulating agents.
• Biologic response modifiers.

Excluded within 60 days of study entry:

• Ribavirin.

Prior Treatment: Excluded within 30 days of study entry:

• Cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiation therapy for Kaposi's sarcoma.

Active substance abuse that would impair compliance with study procedure.

District of Columbia
      George Washington Univ Med Ctr, Washington,  District of Columbia,  20037,  United States
Louisiana
      Charity Hosp / Tulane Univ Med School, New Orleans,  Louisiana,  70112,  United States
      Louisiana State Univ Med Ctr / Tulane Med School, New Orleans,  Louisiana,  70112,  United States
      Tulane Univ School of Medicine, New Orleans,  Louisiana,  70112,  United States
Massachusetts
      Harvard (Massachusetts Gen Hosp), Boston,  Massachusetts,  02114,  United States
      Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02215,  United States
      Beth Israel Deaconess - West Campus, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02215,  United States
      Boston Med Ctr, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02118,  United States
      Univ of Massachusetts Med Ctr, Worcester,  Massachusetts,  01655,  United States
Minnesota
      Univ of Minnesota, Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  55455,  United States
Missouri
      Univ of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City,  Missouri,  64108,  United States
Nebraska
      Univ of Nebraska Med Ctr, Omaha,  Nebraska,  68198,  United States
New York
      Saint Luke's - Roosevelt Hosp Ctr, New York,  New York,  10025,  United States
North Carolina
      Wake Med Ctr / Univ of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,  North Carolina,  275997215,  United States
      Univ of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,  North Carolina,  275997215,  United States
      Moses H Cone Memorial Hosp, Greensboro,  North Carolina,  27401,  United States
      Bowman Gray School of Medicine / Wake Forest Univ, Winston Salem,  North Carolina,  27103,  United States
Tennessee
      Vanderbilt Univ Hosp, Nashville,  Tennessee,  372322605,  United States
Texas
      Retrovir Study Ctr, Houston,  Texas,  77004,  United States
      Community Clinic for AIDS Research, Dallas,  Texas,  75219,  United States
Washington
      Univ of Washington, Seattle,  Washington,  981224304,  United States

Study chairs or principal investigators

Collier AC,  Study Chair
Hirsch M,  Study Chair
Corey L,  Study Chair

Study ID Numbers:  ACTG 063
Record last reviewed:  December 1994
Last Updated:  April 7, 2005
Record first received:  November 2, 1999
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00000712
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-04-08