Effectiveness Study Low-Dose Naltrexone Versus ARV's for HIV+
- Conditions
- HIV Seropositivity
- Interventions
- Registration Number
- NCT01174914
- Lead Sponsor
- The Ojai Foundation
- Brief Summary
In the vast majority of those infected with HIV virus who are untreated, there is deterioration in immune health over a period of months or years inevitably leading to full-blown AIDS and demise. Treatment with ARV's stop or slow down this deterioration if started before a certain degree of progression occurs and has saved millions of lives. The investigators' study hypothesis is that effectiveness of a very low dose of an FDA-approved medication, naltrexone hydrochloride, (Low-Dose Naltrexone, or LDN) will compare favorably to ARV's to prevent progression of HIV+ toward immune deterioration and full-blown AIDS.
- Detailed Description
The LDN (low-dose naltrexone) vs ARV (anti-retroviral drugs) Effectiveness Study in Mali sponsored by The Ojai Foundation in California-USA is a clinical research study endorsed and approved by the Malian Government. Naltrexone hydrochloride is a generic, FDA-approved since 1998 drug, an opioid antagonist that has clinically shown immune enhancing/modulating qualities in very low dosage and may offer an alternative to ARV drugs that is effective, non-toxic, easily available, inexpensive, with simple once-daily at bedtime administration. LDN capsules must be created by compounding pharmacists to get these ultra-small doses. Due to toxicity of current ARV drugs and need for special medical management young HIV infected children are largely neglected particularly in developing countries; LDN can also be made available in a transdermal cream for infants and children who are HIV infected.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 171
- HIV-1 infected
- CD4 count over 350 (arm 1/group 1)
- CD4 count over 200 and on ARV's (arms 2,3/groups 2,3)
- Age between 18 & 60
- Males or females
Exclusion criteria:
- HIV-1 seronegative
- HIV-2 infected
- CD4 count lower than 200
- patients under age 18
- Those refusing to be in study
- Pregnant or breast-feeding women
- Patients under immuno-suppressor therapy
- Those with renal or hepatic dysfunction
- Malaria or tuberculosis
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Naltrexone Low Dose + ARVs Naltrexone + ARV's In this Arm 3, Patients were on ARV's plus being given Naltrexone Low-Dose (3mg) once daily at bedtime for 9 months. ARV's (continued,standard) plus Placebo ARV's + Placebo In this arm 2, patients were started or continued on their standard ARV drugs plus placebo capsule once daily at bedtime; in the 2nd and 3rd arms patients did not know whether they were taking Low-Dose Naltrexone or a placebo. Naltrexone Low-dose 3mg capsule Naltrexone Each person in this arm 1 of the study had never received any ARV drugs and in this study received only one Low-Dose Naltrexone 3mg capsule nightly for 9 months (no placebo).
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method CD4+ percentage (change in HIV-1 seropositive patients) 9 MONTHS HIV+ patients with CD4+ count over 350 had their CD4 count/percentage measured at beginning, at 15 days, at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months (end).
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Clinical assessment of evidence of AIDS or other serious illness 9 MONTHS HIV+ patients with CD4 counts over 200 on ARV drugs were given clinical assessment and testing for evidence of opportunistic infections (AIDS) at each visit for blood testing: (Beginning, 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, \& 9 months (end).
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
University Hospital of Point G
🇲🇱Bamako, Mali