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Pneumonia, Pneumocystis CariniiNCT00000707

Aerosols in the Treatment of Asymptomatic Pneumocystis Pneumonia: A Pilot Study Assessing the Effectiveness of Aerosolized Pentamidine as Treatment of Subclinical Pneumocystis Infection in Patients With No Clinical Symptoms

A study testing Pentamidine isethionate in people with Pneumonia, Pneumocystis Carinii and HIV Infections, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

To confirm the ability of pulmonary (lung) function testing (PFT) to detect Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) before the development of clinical symptoms and to determine if pentamidine (PEN), a drug used in treating PCP, can be given effectively as an aerosol (inhaled mist). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 13 years and older
What is being tested?
Pentamidine isethionate
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Start not givento Jun 1991
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 13 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Concurrent Treatment:
  • Allowed during aerosolization:
  • Metaproterenol or albuterol to treat bronchospasm.
  • Patients must have:
  • HIV infection confirmed by ELISA, HIV culture, or p24 antigenemia.
  • Suspected subclinical Pneumocystis carinii infection as detected by > 10 percent change in lung volumes and/or diffusing capacity indicative of progressive restrictive disease as detected by monthly screening pulmonary function tests (PFT's). Patients will be afebrile and have no respiratory signs or symptoms of clinical disease. Morphologic confirmation of pneumocysts will be determined by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) performed 24 hours after the initial aerosol inhalation. If the BAL is negative for pneumocysts, the patient will be withdrawn from this protocol and will be followed per the screening PFT protocol at Stony Brook.
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  • Diagnostic bronchoscopy and BAL must be performed within 2 weeks of detection of > 10 percent change in PFTs.
  • Ability and willingness to sign informed consent.
  • Prior Medication:
  • Allowed:
  • Primary prophylaxis with agents active against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), but no more than 5 patients may have received prior prophylaxis with aerosolized pentamidine.
  • Zidovudine.

Who cannot join

  • Co-existing Condition:
  • Patients with the following conditions or symptoms are excluded:
  • History of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
  • Development of respiratory signs and/or symptoms in the interval between detection of pulmonary function test (PFT) abnormality and the time of initial aerosol deposition.
  • Dyspnea, cough, or bronchospasm that prevents cooperation with aerosol administration.
  • History of a major adverse reaction to pentamidine defined by absolute neutropenia, < 750 polymorphonuclear leukocytes plus bands; thrombocytopenia, < 40000 platelets; creatinine rise, > 3.0 mg/dl; liver function abnormalities, SGOT or SGPT > 5 x normal; hypoglycemia, < 50 mg/dl; rash, exfoliative or mucositis; cough, unremitting cough or bronchospasm uncontrolled by bronchodilator preventing > 50 percent of dose delivered for > 2 days.
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  • Concurrent Medication:
  • Excluded:
  • Zidovudine.
  • Patients unable to cooperate with aerosol administration are excluded.
  • Prior Medication:
  • Excluded:
  • Another antiprotozoal regimen for this episode. Unable to complete therapy or follow-up for social reasons in the opinion of the investigator.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • SUNY - Stony Brook

    Stony Brook, New York, 11794

Other trials in United States

About this study

To confirm the ability of pulmonary (lung) function testing (PFT) to detect Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) before the development of clinical symptoms and to determine if pentamidine (PEN), a drug used in treating PCP, can be given effectively as an aerosol (inhaled mist). Other goals include the measurement of the actual amount of PEN that reaches the lung, and to determine if close clinical observation is safer and as effective as drug therapy for the prevention of subsequent episodes of PCP.

Many AIDS patients develop PCP, but the effectiveness of early diagnosis and treatment of PCP is not known. The effectiveness of PEN may be improved if treatment is begun when the parasite burden (the number of organisms in the lung) is still small, and before respiratory symptoms appear. If PFT of HIV-infected patients is able to identify patients in the early stages of infection, outpatient treatment of these patients offers a possible alternative to the expense and toxicity of continuous preventive therapy of all high-risk patients.

Read the detailed description

Many AIDS patients develop PCP, but the effectiveness of early diagnosis and treatment of PCP is not known. The effectiveness of PEN may be improved if treatment is begun when the parasite burden (the number of organisms in the lung) is still small, and before respiratory symptoms appear. If PFT of HIV-infected patients is able to identify patients in the early stages of infection, outpatient treatment of these patients offers a possible alternative to the expense and toxicity of continuous preventive therapy of all high-risk patients.

Patients are treated with aerosolized PEN on an outpatient basis. The aerosol therapy is given by a respiratory therapist 5 times a week, for a total of 21 days of treatment. In addition, patients participate in two radioactive aerosol studies in which the patient inhales a radioactive gas while sitting with his/her back against a gamma camera. The resulting picture outlines the lungs. Then the gas is exhaled and the patient breathes an aerosol of PEN. This mist contains a single dose of PEN mixed with a small amount of radioactivity (99mTc-pertechnetate). The gamma camera determines where the particles deposit in the lungs. The radioactive exposure is equivalent to a typical x-ray of the ribs. Patients also undergo diagnostic bronchoscopy with lavage, and PFT. Blood is drawn to measure the blood level of PEN. Patients are followed (clinical exams and PFT's) for 6 months after the end of therapy. Prophylaxis for PCP is allowed during the 6-month follow-up.

Being tested
Pentamidine isethionate
Keywords
Respiratory Function Tests, AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections, Pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii, Pentamidine, Lung, HIV Seropositivity, Drug Evaluation, Administration, Inhalation, Aerosols, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Medical subject headings
Pneumonia, Pneumocystis, HIV Infections, AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Respiratory Aspiration, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Pentamidine isethionateDrug

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Aug 2001 (estimated)
  2. Study completionJun 1991

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00000707
Sponsor's protocol ID
ACTG 048
Other IDs
11022
Status last verified
Oct 2021
First submitted
2 Nov 1999
Last updated
2 Nov 2021
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Smaldone GC, Fuhrer J, Steigbigel RT, McPeck M. Factors determining pulmonary deposition of aerosolized pentamidine in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 Apr;143(4 Pt 1):727-37. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/143.4_Pt_1.727.

    PubMed 2008984

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Pentamidine isethionate in people with Pneumonia, Pneumocystis Carinii and HIV Infections, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 12 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Nov 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00000707, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Nov 2021.

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