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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03568994

Atovaquone (Mepron®) Combined With Conventional Chemotherapy for de Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

This study will test daily dosing of atovaquone at established pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) prophylaxis dosing in combination with standard induction chemotherapy for de novo AML. The primary objectives are to determine the frequency of omission of atovaquone doses due to standard induction chemotherapy toxicity, to quantify the steady-state plasma levels of atovaquone, and to determine the time to achievement of steady state atovaquone levels in this population.

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Key information

Age range

1 month–20 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Early Phase 1

Primary location

Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

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About this study

Standard cytotoxic chemotherapy is based on the Medical Research Council (MRC) backbone of cytarabine, and daunorubicin. This combination of chemotherapy is highly myelosuppressive and can lead to oral aversions, dietary intolerance, and gastrointestinal infections necessitating holding of oral drugs. Because of the toxicity of the best currently available therapy, new drugs that are considered for incorporation into existing treatment regimens will ideally have a tolerable side effect profile. This study will evaluate the tolerability of incorporating the orally bioavailable drug atovaquone in combination with standard cytotoxic induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed pediatric AML patients. Therefore, quantifying the frequency with which atovaquone is held due to a side effect of therapy is crucial information to gather in this population.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age: Children ≥1 month and children and young adults < 21 years of age
  • Diagnosis: Patients must be newly diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia

2.1 Patients with previously untreated primary AML who meet the customary criteria for AML with ≥ 20% bone marrow blasts as set out in the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) Myeloid Neoplasm Classification are eligible.

Attempts to obtain bone marrow either by aspirate or biopsy must be made unless clinically prohibitive. In cases where it is clinically prohibitive, peripheral blood with an excess of 20% blasts and in which adequate flow cytometric and cytogenetics/Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) testing is feasible can be substituted for the marrow exam at diagnosis

2.2 Patients with < 20% bone marrow or peripheral blood blasts are eligible if they have:

  • A karyotypic abnormality characteristic of de novo AML (t(8;21)(q22;q22), inv(16)(p13q22) or t(16;16)(p13;q22) or 11q23 abnormalities,
  • The unequivocal presence of megakaryoblasts, or
  • Biopsy proven isolated myeloid sarcoma (myeloblastoma; chloroma, including leukemia cutis).
  • Pre-existing myelodysplastic syndrome:

Patients with a history of myelodysplastic syndrome that has progressed to AML which meets the criteria above are eligible.

  • Therapy-related or secondary AML Patients with AML which is thought to be therapy related but meet the criteria above are eligible.
  • Prior Therapy:

Prior therapy with hydroxyurea, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), corticosteroids (any route), and IT cytarabine given at diagnosis is allowed. Hydroxyurea and ATRA cannot be given concurrently with protocol therapy. There is no specific amount of time mandated between the last dose of hydroxyurea or ATRA and the start of protocol therapy.

With the exception of infants who had previously received low dose cytarabine to control disease, patients who have previously received any other antileukemic therapy (i.e. chemotherapy or radiation therapy) are not eligible for this protocol.

  • Organ Function Requirement:

Adequate Liver Function Defined as:

  • Direct Bilirubin ≤2x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age and institution (unless related to leukemic involvement), and
  • serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (ALT) ≤2.5x ULN for age and institution (unless it is related to leukemic involvement)
  • Ability to receive enteral medication:

Eligible patients should have no contraindication to enteral administration of medication (e.g. oral, Nasogastric (NG), G-tube, etc) as determined by the evaluating physician.

Exclusion criteria

  • Excluded Constitutional Conditions

Patients with a history of any of the following constitutional conditions are not eligible:

  • Fanconi anemia
  • Shwachman syndrome
  • Any other known constitutional bone marrow failure syndrome
  • Patients with constitutional trisomy 21 or with constitutional mosaicism of trisomy 21 who are eligible to receive treatment for Down Syndrome (DS) related AML Note: Enrollment and initiation of therapy may occur pending results of clinically indicated studies to exclude these conditions. If a patient is found to have any of these conditions they should be removed from the study once results are received. Patients who are removed due to ineligibility after results are received will be replaced.
  • Other Excluded Conditions

Patients with any of the following oncologic diagnoses are not eligible:

  • Any concurrent malignancy
  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)
  • Philadelphia chromosome positive AML
  • Biphenotypic or bilineal acute leukemia
  • Acute promyelocytic leukemia Note: Enrollment and initiation of therapy may occur pending results of clinically indicated studies to exclude these conditions. If a patient is found to have any of these conditions they should be removed from the study once results are received. Patients who are removed due to ineligibility after results are received will be replaced.
  • Prior receipt of anthracyclines Patients with treatment-related AML who have received more than 250mg/m2 of anthracyclines (in daunorubicin equivalents) are not eligible.
  • Known Allergy or Intolerance to Atovaquone Patients with a known allergy or intolerance to atovaquone are not eligible.
  • Enrollment on another ongoing treatment study Patients who are enrolled on a treatment study are not eligible
  • Pregnancy or Breast-Feeding 6.1 Female patients who are pregnant are ineligible since fetal toxicities and teratogenic effects have been noted for several of the study drugs.

6.2 Lactating females are not eligible unless they have agreed not to breastfeed their infants.

6.3 Female patients of childbearing potential are not eligible unless a negative pregnancy test result has been obtained.

  • Informed Consent: All patients and/or their parents or legally authorized representatives must sign a written informed consent. Assent, when appropriate, will be obtained according to institutional guidelines.

Treatment and study plan

Atovaquone

Drug

Patients will receive standard of care MRC based Induction chemotherapy (such as ADE 10+3+5 with daily atovaquone dosing starting on day 6. In order to accommodate potential drug shortages modifications to ADE 10+3+5 that retain the MRC based induction backbone regimen of DA are allowed (see second Arm). These include but are not limited to substitution of etopophos for etoposide, exclusion of etoposide, use of CPX-351 (VYXEOS (daunorubicin and cytarabine) liposome) only, and daunorubicin and cytarabine (DA) + gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO).

Patients will be monitored for adherence to and tolerance of daily dosing of atovaquone. Peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow plasma samples will be obtained to measure atovaquone concentrations.

Other names: Mepron

Cytarabine

Drug

As part of routine Induction 1 chemotherapy (ADE 10+3+5)

Daunorubicin

Drug

As part of routine Induction 1 chemotherapy (ADE 10+3+5)

etoposide

Drug

As part of routine Induction 1 chemotherapy (ADE 10+3+5)

Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin

Drug

As part of routine Induction 1 chemotherapy(DA 3+10 + GO)

Primary outcomes

  1. Plasma Concentrations

    Time frame: 5 weeks

    The investigators will determine plasma levels of atovaquone at the following time points: Day 6, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 29 and on the day of the end of induction bone marrow (BM) assessment (generally around Day 36).

  2. Dose Omission Frequency

    Time frame: 5 weeks

    To quantify the frequency of atovaquone doses omitted due to standard MRC related toxicity. Administration of doses of atovaquone will be monitored while the patient is hospitalized in the electronic medical record and abstracted to case report forms. Families will also be given a diary to complete.

  3. Time to Achieve Steady State

    Time frame: 5 weeks

    Time to achieving steady state concentrations of atovaquone when given in combination with standard chemotherapy in children with de novo AML will be determined using stepwise tests of linear trend.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Baylor College of Medicine

Other

Collaborators

  • William Marsh Rice University

Registry information

Official study title

A Trial of Atovaquone (Mepron®) Combined With Conventional Chemotherapy for de Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (ATACC AML)

Acronym: ATACC AML

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 26, 2018
Registry last updated
Jun 23, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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