LACK OF EFFECT ON SURVIVAL OF HIGH-DOSE ACYCLOVIR AND ZIDOVUDINE COMPARED WITH ZIDOVUDINE ALONE FOR ACQUIRED-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-SYNDROME

Citation
Ac. Collier et al., LACK OF EFFECT ON SURVIVAL OF HIGH-DOSE ACYCLOVIR AND ZIDOVUDINE COMPARED WITH ZIDOVUDINE ALONE FOR ACQUIRED-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-SYNDROME, Antiviral therapy, 3(1), 1998, pp. 25-32
Citations number
34
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Infectious Diseases","Pharmacology & Pharmacy",Virology
Journal title
ISSN journal
1359-6535
Volume
3
Issue
1
Year of publication
1998
Pages
25 - 32
Database
ISI
SICI code
1359-6535(1998)3:1<25:LOEOSO>2.0.ZU;2-Q
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of acyclovir on survival of adults with moderat ely advanced human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. A to tal of 334 adults with AIDS or a CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/mm (3) were assigned to acyclovir 4 g per day or placebo, combined with z idovudine 500 mg per day. Characteristics of enrollees and duration of follow-up were similar in each treatment group. One-hundred and six p atients died. No differences in survival were seen between treatment g roups in any analyses, including intent-to-treat analyses and explorat ory analyses censoring data after study therapy was discontinued, or i n the subset of enrollees with CD4 cell counts less than 100 cells/mm( 3) or less than 50 cells/mm(3) .Types and time to first AIDS-defining diseases were similar in both groups. There were significantly fewer e pisodes of varicella-zoster virus (P<0.0001) and herpes simplex virus (P=0.0001) infection in patients assigned to acyclovir/zidovudine than to zidovudine alone. Both regimens had similar tolerability. These da ta do not support routine use of acyclovir as a treatment for HIV-1 in fection.