Lamivudine and Adefovir to Treat Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in People With and Without HIV Infection

Completed · Phase 3

Conditions studied: HIV Infections, Chronic Hepatitis B

In brief

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of adefovir plus lamivudine for chronic hepatitis B infection in people with and without HIV infection. Lamuvidine, an FDA-approved treatment for hepatitis B infection, also works against HIV. In some patients, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to reproduce despite lamivudine treatment. Adefovir is an experimental drug that inhibits HBV replication and may work against some strains of the virus that have become resistant to lamivudine. Patients 21 years of age or older with active hepatitis B infection despite treatment with lamivudine for at least 1 year may be eligible for this 48-week study. Patients both with or without HIV infection may participate. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, blood and urine tests, liver ultrasound exam, electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest X-ray. Participants will have a physical examination, review of their medical history, blood tests, and a 24-hour urine collection. They will be admitted to the hospital for a liver biopsy to determine if they can receive the study drug. For this procedure, the patient is given a sedative for relaxation. The skin over the biopsy is numbed with an anesthetic and the biopsy needle is passed rapidly into and out of the liver to collect a tissue specimen. Patients are monitored in the hospital overnight for possible complications. After discharge, they return home and begin taking the study medications. Patients will be randomized to two treatment groups. One group will take 10 milligrams/day of adefovir by mouth, and the other will take a placebo-a lookalike pill with no active ingredient. Both groups will also take 150 mg lamivudine by mouth and L-carnitine pills or liquid. Patients with HIV infection will continue to take antiretroviral therapy as well. Patients will be followed in the clinic at study weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40 and 44 for blood and urine tests to determine the safety of the drug and to evaluate the response to treatment. On week 48, a repeat 24-hour urine test and repeat liver biopsy will be done. At the end of the 48 weeks, patients may continue to receive adefovir for another 48 weeks and possibly longer. All those who participate in this extension phase will receive active adefovir, regardless of whether they had previously taken adefovir or placebo. All patients will have the option to enroll in a separate study to examine the levels of HBV (and levels of HIV in HIV-infected patients) in the blood immediately after starting treatment and to determine if these initial levels can predict later outcome. This involves seven additional visits, for which participants will be compensated. At these visits, blood will be drawn on study days 0 (before starting drug treatment), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 21 for HIV and HBV viral loads and specialized immunology tests.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT00023153
Run by: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
People needed: 100
Starts: 2001-08-01
Expected to finish: 2004-10-01
Last updated by the study team: 2008-03-04

Who can join

Age: any. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Age greater than or equal to 18 years
Infection with HBV with HBV viral load greater than 1.0 x 10 (6) copies/mL by Roche assay at screen
HIV infected or uninfected
If HIV infected: CD4 greater than or equal to 100 and VL less than or equal to 10,000 at screen; No antiretroviral changes 12 weeks prior to entry and no anticipated changes 12 weeks into study.
Have a physician(s) outside of NIH who will provide routine, as well as HIV (if applicable) and liver specific, care.
Able to return to NIH for study visits
Receiving lamivudine at a dose of at least 100 mg qd for greater than or equal to one year prior to enrollment (with no dosing interruptions of greater than 1 month total in the previous year and no interruption in the 3 months prior to study entry)
Serum creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL
2 less than or equal to ALT (SGPT) less than or equal to 7 X ULN (current NIH lab values 49-287 U/L inclusive) at screen
Direct bilirubin less than or equal to 1.0 mg/dL
Serum phosphorus greater than or equal to 2.2 mg/dL (normal range NIH 2.3-4.3 mg/dL)
Neutrophil count greater than or equal to 750 cells/mm(3)
Platelets greater than or equal to 70,000/mm(3)
INR less than or equal to 1.5
Hemoglobin greater than or equal to 10 mg/dL
If capable of pregnancy: use of effective contraception during study: effective contraception methods include abstinence, surgical sterilization of either partner, barrier methods such as diaphragm, condom, cap or sponge, or use of hormonal contraception. If HIV infected using hormonal contraception, must be receiving an anti-HIV regimen that will not alter the metabolism of hormonal contraception.
Willing and able to provide written informed consent
Willing to undergo hepatic biopsy at the start and end of study. The initial protocol biopsy will not be required if the subject can provide pathologic slides from a biopsy performed within six months of the History and Physical visit that are found by the Liver Disease Section and the NIH's pathologist to be adequate for this study.

You may not qualify if…

Prior use of ADV, tenofovir, or cidofovir
Decompensated cirrhosis:
Child-Pugh Class B or C cirrhosis;
Class A Score = 5 acceptable; Class A Score = 6 acceptable as long as not secondary to encephalopathy or ascites
Active serious systemic infections other than HIV or HBV
Liver disease caused by reasons other than hepatitis B e.g., HCV, HDV, Wilson's, hemochromatosis, autoimmune hepatitis (ANA greater than or equal to 3 EU) except history of drug-associated hepatitis with discontinuation of causative agent
History of encephalopathy, varices, heart failure, or ascites
Current history of clinical pancreatitis
New AIDS-defining event other than esophageal candidiasis diagnosed within 1 month prior to baseline
Treatment with immunomodulator drugs (interleukins, corticosteriods for indications other than the treatment of adrenal insufficiency) in the 4 weeks prior to baseline. G-CSF and epoetin use are permitted.
Anti-HBV therapy other than lamivudine (such as emtricitabine, lobucavir, entecavir, HBIG, clevudine, MCC-478) with the exception of interferon alpha, famciclovir or foscarnet that ended more than 12 weeks prior to screen.
Hepatic mass suggestive of hepatocellular carcinoma
Alpha fetoprotein greater than 200 ng/ml
Evidence of gastrointestinal malabsorption or chronic nausea or vomiting
Current alcohol or substance abuse that potentially could interfere with patient compliance
Malignancy other than cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma, skin cancer treated by resection or HPV-associated carcinoma in situ or Bowen's disease in the 5 years prior to enrollment
History of clinically significant renal dysfunction within the previous 12 months prior to baseline
Concomitant therapy with aminoglycosides, amphotericin B, cisplatinum, IV pentamidine, vancomycin, systemic chemotherapeutic agents, probenecid or other nephrotoxic agents
Proteinuria (greater than or equal to 3+)
Positive PCR test for hepatitis C
Antibodies to hepatitis D (delta hepatitis)
Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Pregnancy test must be negative within two weeks prior to dosing with adefovir or placebo.
History of organ or bone marrow transplantation
Any systemic illness that will make it unlikely that the subject will be able to return to NIH for the required study visits

Where it is running

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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