Herpes SimplexPhase 1NCT00587496
30-Day Trial of Oral Valtrex or Valtrex Plus Aspirin on Shedding of HSV DNA in Tears and Saliva of Volunteers
A Phase 1 study testing valacyclovir hydrochloride and valacyclovir plus aspirin in people with Herpes Simplex, run by National Eye Institute (NEI) at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether oral Valtrex alone or in combination with aspirin will reduce the shedding of herpes simplex virus DNA in the tears and saliva from volunteers with no evidence of ocular herpes infection. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Herpes Simplex
- What is being tested?
- valacyclovir hydrochloride and valacyclovir plus aspirin
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- Apr 2006to Jul 2008
- 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 20 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- either sex
- any race
- over age of 21 years
Who cannot join
- have active ocular herpetic lesion
- had ocular herpetic lesion in past 30 days
- taking systemic or oral antiviral drugs
- have taken antiviral drugs in the past 30 days
- taking aspirin or NSAIDs
- have dry eyes
Show all 13Show fewer
- have hypersensitivity to acyclovir or valacyclovir
- have hypersensitivity of contraindication to use of aspirin
- have bleeding disorder
- have GI ulcer
- have kidney impairment
- are pregnant or nursing
- have participated in a clinical trial in the past 30 days
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
LSU Eye Center
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112
- Recruiting
Children's Hospital
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118
Herbert E Kaufman, MD
About this study
Official title: A 30-Day Double-Masked Study to Determine the Effect of Oral Valacyclovir or Oral Valacyclovir Plus Aspirin on the Shedding of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA in the Tears and Saliva of Volunteers Without Clinical Signs of Ocular Herpetic Disease
The purpose of this study is to determine whether oral Valtrex alone or in combination with aspirin will reduce the shedding of herpes simplex virus DNA in the tears and saliva from volunteers with no evidence of ocular herpes infection. The secretion of virus into the tears and saliva might make people more susceptible to virus infection in the future if their immune system becomes deficient. The study will also try to determine if there is a correlation between shedding of viral DNA and herpes virus antibodies in serum and to determine if subjects are carriers of a special form of a gene in their blood cells, the presence of which may suggest the possibility of an increased susceptability to herpes and to Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.
Read the detailed description
Published studies have shown that treatment with oral acyclovir reduced clinical recurrences of ocular herpetic keratitis by about 40-50 %8, and treatment with valacyclovir, a more soluble prodrug of acyclovir, reduced the risk of transmission of genital herpes9, 10, 11. For this study, we will use the dose of valacyclovir that was shown effective in reducing the risk of transmission of HSV-2.9 The dose of 325 mg aspirin three times a day was chosen based on our experience with mice and other laboratory animals12. If it is effective and well tolerated at this dose, in future studies we will attempt to use lower doses and determine if they too may be effective.
- Conditions
- Herpes Simplex
- Being tested
- valacyclovir hydrochloride, placebo, valacyclovir plus aspirin
- Keywords
- HSV DNA, volunteers
- Medical subject headings
- Herpes Simplex
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
valacyclovir hydrochlorideDrug
Also called Valtrex
500 mg capsule, one per day for 30 days
placeboDrug
lactose placebo capsule, six per day for 30 days
valacyclovir plus aspirinDrug
500 mg valacyclovir capsule, one per day for 30 days 325 mg acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) capsule, three per day for 30 days placebo capsule, two per day for 30 days
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Experimental | placebo, 6 capsules per day for 30 days Receives: Drug: placebo |
| 2 | Experimental | 500 mg Valtrex one capsule per day plus 5 capsules of placebo per day for 30 days Receives: Drug: valacyclovir hydrochloride |
| 3 | Experimental | 500 mg Valtrex capsule one per day, Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) 325 mg capsules three per day, plus 2 placebo capsules per day for 30 days Receives: Drug: valacyclovir plus aspirin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Cessation of DNA shedding above the positive detection threshold
Measured: 30 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Jan 2008 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2006
- Primary completionJul 2008 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2008 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (13)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Herpes SimplexStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Eye Institute (NEI)
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Investigators
- Herbert E Kaufman, MD, Principal investigator, LSU Eye Center, LSU Health Sciences Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00587496
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 6475
- Other IDs
- EY002672
- Status last verified
- Dec 2007
- First submitted
- 21 Dec 2007
- Last updated
- 7 Jan 2008
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Publications
Kaufman HE, Azcuy AM, Varnell ED, Sloop GD, Thompson HW, Hill JM. HSV-1 DNA in tears and saliva of normal adults. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Jan;46(1):241-7. doi: 10.1167/iovs.04-0614.
PubMed 15623779Lindgren KM, Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. Significance of Herpesvirus hominis in respiratory secretions of man. N Engl J Med. 1968 Mar 7;278(10):517-23. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196803072781001. No abstract available.
PubMed 4295319Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. A prospective study of chronic herpes simplex virus infection and recurrent herpes labialis in humans. J Immunol. 1970 Feb;104(2):289-95. No abstract available.
PubMed 4312871Scott DA, Coulter WA, Biagioni PA, O'Neill HO, Lamey PJ. Detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 shedding in the oral cavity by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the prodromal stage of recrudescent herpes labialis. J Oral Pathol Med. 1997 Aug;26(7):305-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1997.tb00220.x.
PubMed 9250929Hobson A, Wald A, Wright N, Corey L. Evaluation of a quantitative competitive PCR assay for measuring herpes simplex virus DNA content in genital tract secretions. J Clin Microbiol. 1997 Mar;35(3):548-52. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.3.548-552.1997.
PubMed 9041386Ryncarz AJ, Goddard J, Wald A, Huang ML, Roizman B, Corey L. Development of a high-throughput quantitative assay for detecting herpes simplex virus DNA in clinical samples. J Clin Microbiol. 1999 Jun;37(6):1941-7. doi: 10.1128/JCM.37.6.1941-1947.1999.
PubMed 10325351Kessler HH, Muhlbauer G, Rinner B, Stelzl E, Berger A, Dorr HW, Santner B, Marth E, Rabenau H. Detection of Herpes simplex virus DNA by real-time PCR. J Clin Microbiol. 2000 Jul;38(7):2638-42. doi: 10.1128/JCM.38.7.2638-2642.2000.
PubMed 10878056Acyclovir for the prevention of recurrent herpes simplex virus eye disease. Herpetic Eye Disease Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998 Jul 30;339(5):300-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199807303390503.
PubMed 9696640Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, Sacks SL, Tyring SK, Warren T, Douglas JM Jr, Paavonen J, Morrow RA, Beutner KR, Stratchounsky LS, Mertz G, Keene ON, Watson HA, Tait D, Vargas-Cortes M; Valacyclovir HSV Transmission Study Group. Once-daily valacyclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):11-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa035144.
PubMed 14702423Crumpacker CS. Use of antiviral drugs to prevent herpesvirus transmission. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):67-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe038189. No abstract available.
PubMed 14702430Gebhardt BM, Varnell ED, Kaufman HE. Acetylsalicylic acid reduces viral shedding induced by thermal stress. Curr Eye Res. 2004 Aug-Sep;29(2-3):119-25. doi: 10.1080/02713680490504588.
PubMed 15512958Anon. New indications. Valtrex. FDA Drug Approvals 38:572-573, 2003.
Sheskin DJ. Handbook of Parametric and Nonparametric tatistical Procedures. 2nd Edition. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton, FL pp. 982,2000.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Jan 2008. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A 30-Day Double-Masked Study to Determine the Effect of Oral Valacyclovir or Oral Valacyclovir Plus Aspirin on the Shedding of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA in the Tears and Saliva of Volunteers Without Clinical Signs of Ocular Herpetic Disease
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00587496
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 6475
- Conditions
- Herpes Simplex
- Keywords
- HSV DNA, volunteers
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- National Eye Institute (NEI)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- Apr 2006
- Primary completion
- Jul 2008 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2008 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 Jan 2008 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether oral Valtrex alone or in combination with aspirin will reduce the shedding of herpes simplex virus DNA in the tears and saliva from volunteers with no evidence of ocular herpes infection. The secretion of virus into the tears and saliva might make people more susceptible to virus infection in the future if their immune system becomes deficient. The study will also try to determine if there is a correlation between shedding of viral DNA and herpes virus antibodies in serum and to determine if subjects are carriers of a special form of a gene in their blood cells, the presence of which may suggest the possibility of an increased susceptability to herpes and to Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.
Detailed description
Published studies have shown that treatment with oral acyclovir reduced clinical recurrences of ocular herpetic keratitis by about 40-50 %8, and treatment with valacyclovir, a more soluble prodrug of acyclovir, reduced the risk of transmission of genital herpes9, 10, 11. For this study, we will use the dose of valacyclovir that was shown effective in reducing the risk of transmission of HSV-2.9 The dose of 325 mg aspirin three times a day was chosen based on our experience with mice and other laboratory animals12. If it is effective and well tolerated at this dose, in future studies we will attempt to use lower doses and determine if they too may be effective.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Experimental | Drug: placeboplacebo, 6 capsules per day for 30 days |
| 2 | Experimental | Drug: valacyclovir hydrochloride500 mg Valtrex one capsule per day plus 5 capsules of placebo per day for 30 days |
| 3 | Experimental | Drug: valacyclovir plus aspirin500 mg Valtrex capsule one per day, Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) 325 mg capsules three per day, plus 2 placebo capsules per day for 30 days |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- either sex
- any race
- over age of 21 years
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- have active ocular herpetic lesion
- had ocular herpetic lesion in past 30 days
- taking systemic or oral antiviral drugs
- have taken antiviral drugs in the past 30 days
- taking aspirin or NSAIDs
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| valacyclovir hydrochlorideAlso: Valtrex500 mg capsule, one per day for 30 days | Drug | 2 |
| placebolactose placebo capsule, six per day for 30 days | Drug | 1 |
| valacyclovir plus aspirin500 mg valacyclovir capsule, one per day for 30 days 325 mg acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) capsule, three per day for 30 days placebo capsule, two per day for 30 days | Drug | 3 |
Primary outcome
Cessation of DNA shedding above the positive detection threshold
Time frame: 30 days
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Jan 2008.
- Background: PubMed 15623779Kaufman HE, Azcuy AM, Varnell ED, Sloop GD, Thompson HW, Hill JM. HSV-1 DNA in tears and saliva of normal adults. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Jan;46(1):241-7. doi: 10.1167/iovs.04-0614.
- Background: PubMed 4295319Lindgren KM, Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. Significance of Herpesvirus hominis in respiratory secretions of man. N Engl J Med. 1968 Mar 7;278(10):517-23. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196803072781001. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 4312871Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. A prospective study of chronic herpes simplex virus infection and recurrent herpes labialis in humans. J Immunol. 1970 Feb;104(2):289-95. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 9250929Scott DA, Coulter WA, Biagioni PA, O'Neill HO, Lamey PJ. Detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 shedding in the oral cavity by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the prodromal stage of recrudescent herpes labialis. J Oral Pathol Med. 1997 Aug;26(7):305-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1997.tb00220.x.
- Background: PubMed 9041386Hobson A, Wald A, Wright N, Corey L. Evaluation of a quantitative competitive PCR assay for measuring herpes simplex virus DNA content in genital tract secretions. J Clin Microbiol. 1997 Mar;35(3):548-52. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.3.548-552.1997.
- Background: PubMed 10325351Ryncarz AJ, Goddard J, Wald A, Huang ML, Roizman B, Corey L. Development of a high-throughput quantitative assay for detecting herpes simplex virus DNA in clinical samples. J Clin Microbiol. 1999 Jun;37(6):1941-7. doi: 10.1128/JCM.37.6.1941-1947.1999.
- Background: PubMed 10878056Kessler HH, Muhlbauer G, Rinner B, Stelzl E, Berger A, Dorr HW, Santner B, Marth E, Rabenau H. Detection of Herpes simplex virus DNA by real-time PCR. J Clin Microbiol. 2000 Jul;38(7):2638-42. doi: 10.1128/JCM.38.7.2638-2642.2000.
- Background: PubMed 9696640Acyclovir for the prevention of recurrent herpes simplex virus eye disease. Herpetic Eye Disease Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998 Jul 30;339(5):300-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199807303390503.
- Background: PubMed 14702423Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, Sacks SL, Tyring SK, Warren T, Douglas JM Jr, Paavonen J, Morrow RA, Beutner KR, Stratchounsky LS, Mertz G, Keene ON, Watson HA, Tait D, Vargas-Cortes M; Valacyclovir HSV Transmission Study Group. Once-daily valacyclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):11-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa035144.
- Background: PubMed 14702430Crumpacker CS. Use of antiviral drugs to prevent herpesvirus transmission. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):67-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe038189. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 15512958Gebhardt BM, Varnell ED, Kaufman HE. Acetylsalicylic acid reduces viral shedding induced by thermal stress. Curr Eye Res. 2004 Aug-Sep;29(2-3):119-25. doi: 10.1080/02713680490504588.
- BackgroundAnon. New indications. Valtrex. FDA Drug Approvals 38:572-573, 2003.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Herbert E Kaufman, MD principal investigator
LSU Eye Center, LSU Health Sciences Center
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 1 study testing valacyclovir hydrochloride and valacyclovir plus aspirin in people with Herpes Simplex, run by National Eye Institute (NEI) 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 3 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Jan 2008. 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 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?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Emily D Varnell, BS (504 568-2254, evarne@lsuhsc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Cessation of DNA shedding above the positive detection threshold (time frame: 30 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00587496, which also lists 13 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 7 Jan 2008.