Official Title: “The Effect of Increasing Gastric pH Upon the Bioavailability of Orally Administered Phosphonoformic Acid (Foscarnet)”

To see if ranitidine, by reducing stomach acidity, can enhance the effectiveness of foscarnet, by making foscarnet more available to the body.

Foscarnet is an antiviral compound. Laboratory studies have shown it to be active against HIV. However, only 12 - 22 percent of an oral foscarnet dose is absorbed by the body.

Ranitidine suppresses gastric acid output, increasing gastric pH. Thus by increasing gastric pH (decreasing stomach acidity), less foscarnet is expected to be decomposed or broken down in the stomach. Thus, more foscarnet should be absorbed into the body.

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Treatment

Foscarnet is an antiviral compound. Laboratory studies have shown it to be active against HIV. However, only 12 - 22 percent of an oral foscarnet dose is absorbed by the body.

Ranitidine suppresses gastric acid output, increasing gastric pH. Thus by increasing gastric pH (decreasing stomach acidity), less foscarnet is expected to be decomposed or broken down in the stomach. Thus, more foscarnet should be absorbed into the body.

Six asymptomatic HIV-infected males, or those with limited symptoms of early AIDS-related complex ( ARC ), will receive one dose intravenously of ranitidine in distilled water and one dose of placebo (distilled water alone), followed in 1 hour by foscarnet in oral solution.

The order of ranitidine and placebo is randomized and the two foscarnet doses are separated by at least 72 hours. A nasogastric pH probe is placed on each morning of drug administration to monitor gastric pH.

Intervention(s) in this Clinical Trial

• Drug: Ranitidine hydrochloride
• Drug: Foscarnet sodium

Inclusion Criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Allowed:

• Acetaminophen and sedatives.
• Patient must be able to give informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

Patients with the following are excluded:

• Unintentional weight loss in excess of 10 pounds or 10 percent of usual body weight within 2 years prior to study.
• Unexplained temperature above 38 degrees Celsius on more than 5 consecutive days or on more than 10 days in any 30 days in 2 years prior to expected study entry.
• Unexplained diarrhea defined by two or more stools/day for at least 14 days during a 120-day interval.

Prior Medication:

Excluded within 1 week of entry into study:

• Probenecid, aspirin, or diuretics.

Gender Eligibility for this Clinical Trial: Male

Minimum Age for this Clinical Trial: 18 Years

Maximum Age for this Clinical Trial: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted for this Clinical Trial?: No

Lead Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Overall Clinical Trial Officials and Contacts

DM Kornhauser Study Chair   

Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 02, 2009

Link to the current ClinicalTrials.gov record. http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00000964

Study ID Number: ACTG 136

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000964

Health Authority: United States: Federal Government