MedPath

Early Infant HIV Treatment in Botswana

Phase 2
Active, not recruiting
Conditions
HIV
Pediatric AIDS
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT02369406
Lead Sponsor
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Brief Summary

The overall objective of this study is to determine whether very early antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation in HIV-infected infants limits the seeding of viral reservoirs and maintains immune responses, potentially allowing future periods off ART.

Detailed Description

HIV-1 infection during adulthood leads to a stable, long-lasting viral reservoir in CD4 T cells that persists despite suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and is responsible for rapid viral rebound once treatment is stopped in most cases. In neonates, HIV-1 infection occurs at a time when the adaptive immune system is still in development, which may alter the establishment of a long-lasting viral reservoir and offer opportunities to reduce viral persistence through early antiretroviral treatment. Recently, scientific understanding of neonatal HIV infection has been challenged by the description of an infant who tested positive for HIV at birth, was treated with potent combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) within the first 30 hours of life, and achieved long-term remission of HIV infection when ART was stopped approximately 18 months later. Unfortunately, after 2 years off ART, rebound viremia occurred in this child, yet this case raises the provocative question of whether ART initiated within the first days of life for an antepartum infection, or in the first days/weeks of life for a peripartum infection, can prevent the seeding of a long-lasting reservoir of HIV infected cells in some infants (and therefore lead to long periods of HIV remission off ART).

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
67
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Antepartum CohortKaletra40 children who test HIV-positive within 96 hours after birth (antepartum HIV infection) and are able to initiate ART \< 7 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 15 children who start ART \< 3 days after birth. All infants in the antepartum cohort will initiate ART with Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine, and later switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Antepartum CohortZidovudine40 children who test HIV-positive within 96 hours after birth (antepartum HIV infection) and are able to initiate ART \< 7 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 15 children who start ART \< 3 days after birth. All infants in the antepartum cohort will initiate ART with Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine, and later switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Peripartum CohortKaletra10 children who test HIV-negative within 96 hours after birth but test HIV-positive \<57 days after birth (peripartum HIV infection) and who are able to initiate ART \<57 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 10 children who start ART \< 21 days after birth. The majority of infants in the peripartum cohort will be able to start Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine as their first regimen, but a minority may start Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine and then switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Antepartum CohortNevirapine40 children who test HIV-positive within 96 hours after birth (antepartum HIV infection) and are able to initiate ART \< 7 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 15 children who start ART \< 3 days after birth. All infants in the antepartum cohort will initiate ART with Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine, and later switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Antepartum CohortLamivudine40 children who test HIV-positive within 96 hours after birth (antepartum HIV infection) and are able to initiate ART \< 7 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 15 children who start ART \< 3 days after birth. All infants in the antepartum cohort will initiate ART with Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine, and later switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Peripartum CohortNevirapine10 children who test HIV-negative within 96 hours after birth but test HIV-positive \<57 days after birth (peripartum HIV infection) and who are able to initiate ART \<57 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 10 children who start ART \< 21 days after birth. The majority of infants in the peripartum cohort will be able to start Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine as their first regimen, but a minority may start Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine and then switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Peripartum CohortZidovudine10 children who test HIV-negative within 96 hours after birth but test HIV-positive \<57 days after birth (peripartum HIV infection) and who are able to initiate ART \<57 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 10 children who start ART \< 21 days after birth. The majority of infants in the peripartum cohort will be able to start Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine as their first regimen, but a minority may start Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine and then switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Peripartum CohortLamivudine10 children who test HIV-negative within 96 hours after birth but test HIV-positive \<57 days after birth (peripartum HIV infection) and who are able to initiate ART \<57 days after birth. This cohort will include at least 10 children who start ART \< 21 days after birth. The majority of infants in the peripartum cohort will be able to start Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine as their first regimen, but a minority may start Nevirapine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine and then switch to Kaletra, Zidovudine, Lamivudine.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
To determine the proportion of infants who have treatment-limiting adverse events within the first 14 days of treatment14 days
To determine the proportion of infants who fail to achieve at least a 1.5 log10 copies/mL reduction in HIV-1 RNA by the 14th day of treatment14 days
To determine the proportion of infants in the antepartum cohort with trough drug concentrations below defined therapeutic ranges at 7 and 14 days of treatment (trough concentrations will be evaluated for NVP, ZDV, 3TC)14 days
To evaluate virologic and immunologic outcomes of very early ART in infancy84-96 weeks

Virologic outcomes after early ART: We will evaluate how the timing of HIV infection and the timing of ART initiation affect the size and composition of the viral reservoir over time.

Immunologic outcomes after early ART: We will evaluate how immune activation and immune activity against HIV-1 contribute to the size and composition of the HIV-1 reservoir over time in infants treated early with suppressive ART.

Control Group Comparisons. We will evaluate virologic and immunologic outcomes at a single time point in children for whom ART initiation was later than in the prospective cohorts, and compared with immunologic testing of stored specimens from HIV exposed uninfected and HIV unexposed children.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of participants with HIV-1 RNA levels <40 copies/mLup to 576 weeks
Number of participants with reservoir HIV-1 DNA (in copies/million peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs) below the level of detection for total virusup to 576 weeks

Threshold of detection is expected to be approximately 5 copies/million PBMCs, but varies by sample volume available.

Median CD4 cell count (cells/mm3) and 95% confidence intervals among participantsup to 576 weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Botswana Harvard HIV/AIDS Institute Partnership

🇧🇼

Gaborone, Botswana

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