A Controlled Comparative Trial of Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim Versus Aerosolized Pentamidine for Secondary Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in AIDS Patients Receiving Azidothymidine (AZT)

Summary

To determine if the drug combination sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SMX-TMP), given by mouth, and the drug pentamidine (PEN), given by inhaled aerosol, are effective in preventing a relapse of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) when they are given to patients who have recovered from a first episode of PCP and are being given zidovudine (AZT) to treat primary HIV infection. AZT prolongs survival in patients with AIDS and decreases the occurrence of opportunistic infections such as PCP. However, PCP recurs in about 43 percent of patients receiving AZT, indicating a need for other treatments to reduce the relapse rate. The two medications to be tested in this study, SMX/TMP and aerosolized PEN, have also been partially effective in preventing recurrence of PCP. It is hoped that the combination of AZT with these medications will be more effective than AZT or one of the medications alone.

Timeline

Start

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Primary completion

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Completion

1991-08

Publications

• Background Freedberg KA, Hardy WD, Holzman RS, Tosteson AN, Craven DE. Validating literature-based models with direct clinical trial results: the cost-effectiveness of secondary prophylaxis for PCP in AIDS patients. Med Decis Making. 1996 Jan-Mar;16(1):29-35. doi: 10.1177/0272989X9601600110.
• Background Hardy WD, Feinberg J, Finkelstein DM, Power ME, He W, Kaczka C, Frame PT, Holmes M, Waskin H, Fass RJ, et al. A controlled trial of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or aerosolized pentamidine for secondary prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 021. N Engl J Med. 1992 Dec 24;327(26):1842-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199212243272604.
• Background Hardy WD, Holzman RS, Avramis V, Bawdon R, Fall H, Feinberg J. Clinical and pharmacokinetic interactions of combined zidovudine (ZDV) therapy and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (fansidar) prophylaxis in post-PCP AIDS patients (ACTG 021). Int Conf AIDS. 1989 Jun 4-9;5:294 (abstract no TBP46)
• Background Robins JM, Finkelstein DM. Correcting for noncompliance and dependent censoring in an AIDS Clinical Trial with inverse probability of censoring weighted (IPCW) log-rank tests. Biometrics. 2000 Sep;56(3):779-88. doi: 10.1111/j.0006-341x.2000.00779.x.

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Indications