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AzTrials

Acquired Immunodeficiency SyndromePhase 2NCT00033176

Immune Restoration by Lipoic Acid in AIDS

A Phase 2 study testing Alpha Lipoic Acid in people with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and HIV Infections, run by National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at 2 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

The purpose of this study is to determine the immunomodulatory and antiviral effects of the glutathione-restoring dithiol, alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in HIV-infected persons unresponsive to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Alpha Lipoic Acid
How many people
33 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Feb 2002to Aug 2004
Phase
Phase 2
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

  • HIV-positive status
  • HAART non-responsiveness as defined by 1) previous experience with at least 2 different protease inhibitors plus nucleoside analogs; 2) viral load of >10,000 copies/cc and CD4+ cell count >50 x 1000 cells/liter at time of enrollment

Who cannot join

  • Diabetic patients
  • Pregnant women
  • Asthmatic patients
  • Severely thiamine-deficient persons (e.g. alcoholics and those with polyneuritis)
  • History of supplementing on excessive amounts of N-acetylcysteine, glutathione or other antioxidant supplements, during the 2 months prior to study entry.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Quest Clinical Research

    San Francisco, California, 94115

  • Eye Clinic, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

    San Jose, California, 95128

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to determine the immunomodulatory and antiviral effects of the glutathione-restoring dithiol, alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in HIV-infected persons unresponsive to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART).

Read the detailed description

AIDS is characterized by infection with HIV which leads to collapse of the immune system. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has contributed significantly to lowering morbidity and mortality from AIDS, antiretroviral drugs do not fully restore the immune system and patients often fail multi-drug treatment. Hence, there is a need for alternative/complementary medicine (CAM) that can restore an immune system ravaged by HIV/AIDS. To address this need, investigators have formed a multidisciplinary collaboration to evaluate and demonstrate utility of natural immune-based modulators in ethnically diverse patients with HIV/AIDS. The long-term goal of this proposal is to develop a CAM therapy to facilitate immune reconstitution and HIV eradication following cessation of antiretroviral treatment or concurrent with continued antiretroviral treatment. It is based on the premise of a widespread deficiency of glutathione (GSH), vital to lymphocyte function, in patients with HIV/AIDS. The proposed project will study the immunomodulatory and antiretroviral effects of a dietary antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which is known to efficiently boost systemic GSH.

In this study, HIV-infected adults unresponsive to HAART (i.e. those with persistent CD4+ count > 50 cells/mm3, viral load> 10,000 copies/cc) will be randomized into a treatment or a control arm. The treatment group will be given 300 mg ALA thrice daily for 6 months and the control group will receive inert placebo. Studies performed at baseline and at 2,4, and 6 months will include estimation of CD4+ count, HIV RNA, T-cell reactivity in vitro and whole blood GSH level. Significance of changes from baseline parameters will be analyzed by t-tests. The proposed research will show whether GSH augmentation by ALA increases CD4+ cell number and T cell function and reduces viral load in subjects unresponsive to antiretroviral therapy.

Being tested
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Keywords
complementary therapies, Immune restoration, HIV infection, AIDS, HAART non-responsiveness, glutathione restoration, lipoic acid, dithiol
Medical subject headings
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections

What participants receive

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

  • Alpha Lipoic AcidDrug

Timeline

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

  1. First posted9 Apr 2002 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2002
  3. Study completionAug 2004

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 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
Double blind
Enrolment
33 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00033176
Sponsor's protocol ID
R21AT000246-01A2
Status last verified
Jul 2006
First submitted
8 Apr 2002
Last updated
18 Aug 2006
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Alpha Lipoic Acid in people with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and HIV Infections, run by National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at 2 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 2 inclusion and 5 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 18 Aug 2006. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 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 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

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?
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 18 Aug 2006.

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