An International Study to Evaluate Recombinant Interleukin-2 in HIV Positive Patients Taking Anti-retroviral Therapy (ESPRIT)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 3

Conditions

HIV Infections

Treatments

Drug: Recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Industry

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00004978

10118 (Registry Identifier)

3U01AI046957-05S2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

ESPRIT 001

3U01AI046957-05S3 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

5U01AI046957 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

00 I-0071

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to see if it is effective to give HIV positive patients recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) in addition to anti-HIV therapy. Patients will be followed over a minimum of 4 years to study the long-term effects of rIL-2 on their HIV disease progression.

Anti-HIV therapy has been very successful in treating HIV positive patients and in keeping viral load (level of HIV in the blood) low. However, anti-HIV drugs cannot completely rid the body of the virus, and the immune system is never completely restored in HIV positive patients. Doctors hope that giving patients recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) in addition to their anti-HIV therapy will help improve their immune systems and keep them healthier over a longer period of time. rIL-2 is a hormone naturally produced by the body during an immune response to a microbial infection.

Full description

Much progress has been made in implementing potent antiretroviral therapy that is able to maximally suppress viral replication. However, these drug combinations do not result in viral eradication and, for many patients, virologic and immunologic control cannot be maintained. Even among patients with apparent virologic control, a "ceiling effect" seems to exist with failure of CD4 cell counts to rise on average more than 100 to 150 cells/mm^3, at least during the first 2 years of therapy. The incomplete recovery of immune function after initiation of therapy remains an obstacle in the management of HIV. Preservation of immune function by direct expansion of CD4 lymphocytes with rIL-2 could represent a significant additional treatment strategy. It also has been speculated recently that rIL-2 in combination with potent antiretroviral therapy may be a useful approach for purging HIV from the latently infected CD4 cells. It is hoped that intervention with rIL-2 therapy in combination with antiretroviral therapy at an early stage of HIV infection can prevent CD4 T-cell depletion and result in fewer AIDS-defining illnesses than with antiretroviral therapy alone.

Patients are randomized to receive subcutaneous (SC) rIL-2 therapy or no rIL-2 therapy. All patients must be taking a regimen of combination antiretroviral treatment, with the choice of therapy at the discretion of the treating clinician. Antiretroviral medications are not provided by this study. Recombinant IL-2 is given SC for 5 consecutive days every 8 weeks for at least 3 cycles unless toxicities or other contraindications develop. After the first three cycles, additional cycles are given at the discretion of each patient's physician, with a general goal of maintaining the patient's CD4 cell count at twice the baseline level or at 1,000 cells/mm^3 or above for as long as possible. Patients in the no rIL-2 group receive no injections. Patients in both treatment groups are seen every 4 months for follow-up data collection to monitor viral load and CD4 cell counts. All patients are followed for a minimum of 4 years. During the trial, patients in the no SC rIL-2 group are not given rIL-2 at any point. However, at the end of the study, if rIL-2 is found to be effective in reducing the rate of disease progression [AS PER AMENDMENT 12/15/00: (new and recurrent events)], including death, all patients are offered rIL-2.

Enrollment

4,150 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

HIV positive
Have a CD4 cell count of 300 cells/mm3 or more within 45 days of study entry
Are on combination anti-HIV therapy or are beginning anti-HIV therapy at the time of study entry
Are at least 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

Have received IL-2 before
Have cancer requiring chemotherapy
Have evidence of active clinical disease within the past year for any AIDS-defining illness or certain other conditions such as herpes zoster or Chagas disease. (This study has been changed. Previously, patients were ineligible if they had a history of any AIDS-defining illness or certain other conditions.)
Have used certain medications, such as corticosteroids or drugs affecting the immune system, in the 45 days before study entry
Have a nervous system disorder requiring antiseizure medication
Have an autoimmune or inflammatory disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), psoriasis, optic neuritis, or any autoimmune/inflammatory diseases with potentially life-threatening complications
Are pregnant or breastfeeding