Safety and Effectiveness of Giving Indinavir and Nelfinavir to HIV-Infected Patients

It is hypothesized that the administration of indinavir with nelfinavir will be generally safe and well tolerated.

This is a parallel, time-lagged, 2-stage, multiple-dose, 24-week study in HIV-1 seropositive patients. In the 3-week, randomized, double-blind phase of Stage A, patients receive either indinavir plus nelfinavir (Group A1: 9 patients) or indinavir placebo plus nelfinavir placebo (Group A2: 3 patients) for the first week. In Week 2, patients in Group A1 have the nelfinavir dose increased. This dose escalation for nelfinavir is contingent upon the patient having completed 1 week of the study drugs without experiencing Grade 3 or worse toxicity and/or serious drug-related adverse events. Patients in Group A2 continue to receive placebo until Week 3, at which time they receive indinavir plus nelfinavir (initial dose), while patients in Group A1 continue with indinavir plus nelfinavir (escalated dose). At Week 4 all patients in Stage A (including those originally assigned to receive placebo) receive open-label indinavir plus nelfinavir (escalated dose) for the remainder of the 24 weeks.

After at least 6 patients in Stage A have completed at least 2 weeks of therapy with nelfinavir plus indinavir with acceptable tolerability, Stage B begins. In the 2-week, randomized, double-blind phase of Stage B, patients receive either indinavir plus nelfinavir (Group B1: 9 patients) or indinavir placebo plus nelfinavir placebo (Group B2, 3 patients). After 2 weeks, all patients in Stage B (including those originally assigned to receive placebo) receive open-label indinavir plus nelfinavir for the remainder of the 24 weeks.

Inclusion criteria

You may be eligible for this study if you:

• Are HIV-positive.
• Have a CD4 count of at least 100 cells/mm3.
• Have a plasma viral load (level of HIV in the blood) of at least 30,000 copies/ml.
• Are at least 18 years old.

Exclusion criteria

You will not be eligible for this study if you:

• Have ever been treated with any protease inhibitors (PIs).