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HIV InfectionsPhase 1NCT00000792

A Pharmacologically Guided Phase I/II Study of Daily Orally Administered Synthetic Hypericin in HIV-Infected Subjects

A Phase 1 study testing Hypericin in people with HIV Infections, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 3 sites 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 determine the safety and tolerance of daily oral hypericin when given to achieve target trough levels within defined cohorts. To determine the responses of surrogate markers of HIV infection to daily oral hypericin. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
HIV Infections
What is being tested?
Hypericin
How many people
24 participants
Where
3 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Start not givento Jan 1995
Phase
Phase 1
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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Concurrent Medication:
  • Required:
  • PCP prophylaxis.
  • Allowed:
  • Rifabutin, ketoconazole, fluconazole, and acyclovir, provided the medication has been taken for at least 4 weeks prior to study entry without toxicity.
  • Topical medications such as clotrimazole troches or nystatin suspension.
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  • Patients must have:
  • Documented HIV infection.
  • CD4 count <= 350 cells/mm3.
  • p24 antigen positive at >= 35 pcg/ml.
  • No active opportunistic infection at study entry that would require curative or suppressive therapy.

Who cannot join

  • Co-existing Condition:
  • Patients with the following symptoms or conditions are excluded:
  • Malignancy for which systemic chemotherapy is required.
  • Medically significant liver disease, orthostatic hypotension, hypertension, cardiac disease, seizure disorders, or lymphoma.
  • Any medical condition that would interfere with evaluation of the patient.
  • Concurrent Medication:
Show all 34Show fewer
  • Excluded:
  • AZT, ddI, ddC, d4T, or any other antiretroviral medication.
  • Interferon or other immunomodulating drugs.
  • Cytotoxic chemotherapy.
  • Foscarnet.
  • Ganciclovir.
  • Antimycobacterial drugs other than rifabutin.
  • MAO inhibitors.
  • Hypertension-inducing, nephrotoxic, or hepatotoxic drugs.
  • Opiates.
  • Drugs known to cause photosensitivity.
  • Prior Medication:
  • Excluded within 1 month prior to study entry:
  • AZT, ddI, ddC, d4T, or any other antiretroviral medication.
  • Interferon or other immunomodulating drugs.
  • Cytotoxic chemotherapy.
  • Preparations known to contain hypericin.
  • Excluded within 3 months prior to study entry:
  • Ribavirin.
  • Hyperforate (500 mg tablets or ampules for IV injection) manufactured by Kline.
  • Psychotonin M Alcohol Extract manufactured by Steigerwald.
  • Hypericin (40 mg vial) by VIMRx.
  • Excluded within 14 days prior to study entry:
  • Foscarnet.
  • Ganciclovir.
  • Antimycobacterial drugs other than rifabutin.
  • MAO inhibitors.
  • Hypertension-inducing, nephrotoxic, or hepatotoxic drugs.

Trial locations and contacts

3 sites in 1 country.

United States3 sites
  • Johns Hopkins Adult AIDS CRS

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21287

  • Beth Israel Deaconess - East Campus A0102 CRS

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215

  • NY Univ. HIV/AIDS CRS

    New York, New York, 10016

Other trials in United States

About this study

To determine the safety and tolerance of daily oral hypericin when given to achieve target trough levels within defined cohorts. To determine the responses of surrogate markers of HIV infection to daily oral hypericin.

It is not known whether daily oral dosing will produce a tolerable prolonged exposure to therapeutic levels of hypericin. Pharmacokinetic modeling studies have demonstrated that daily oral dosing should produce a trough level in a desired range without excessive peak levels.

Read the detailed description

It is not known whether daily oral dosing will produce a tolerable prolonged exposure to therapeutic levels of hypericin. Pharmacokinetic modeling studies have demonstrated that daily oral dosing should produce a trough level in a desired range without excessive peak levels.

Cohorts of six patients each receive escalating doses of oral hypericin daily. Blood is sampled for peak and trough levels the second week of therapy. A computer modeling algorithm will use these levels to determine the appropriate dose needed for each patient to achieve the desired trough level. When three of six patients at a given dose have completed 3 weeks of therapy without evidence of dose-limiting toxicity, data will be reviewed to determine whether subsequent patients should be entered at the next higher dose. The MTD is defined as the dose level immediately below that at which grade 3 or worse toxicity is seen in three or more of six patients.

Conditions
HIV Infections
Being tested
Hypericin
Keywords
Administration, Oral, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS-Related Complex, Antiviral Agents
Medical subject headings
HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, AIDS-Related Complex

What participants receive

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

  • HypericinDrug

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 completionJan 1995

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 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
24 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00000792
Sponsor's protocol ID
ACTG 258
Other IDs
11235
Status last verified
Oct 2021
First submitted
2 Nov 1999
Last updated
4 Nov 2021
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Furner V, Bek M, Gold J. A Phase I/II unblinded dose ranging study of hypericin in HIV-positive subjects. Int Conf AIDS. 1991 Jun 16-21;7(2):199 (abstract no WB2071)

  • Gulick RM, McAuliffe V, Holden-Wiltse J, Crumpacker C, Liebes L, Stein DS, Meehan P, Hussey S, Forcht J, Valentine FT. Phase I studies of hypericin, the active compound in St. John's Wort, as an antiretroviral agent in HIV-infected adults. AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocols 150 and 258. Ann Intern Med. 1999 Mar 16;130(6):510-4. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-130-6-199903160-00015.

    PubMed 10075619

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Hypericin in people with HIV Infections, run by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at 3 sites 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 11 inclusion and 34 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 4 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 3 sites 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

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 NCT00000792, which also lists 2 linked publications.

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 4 Nov 2021.

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