A Study on the Safety and Effectiveness of Adefovir Dipivoxil in Combination With Anti-HIV Therapy (HAART) in HIV-Positive Patients
A Study on the Safety and Effectiveness of Adefovir Dipivoxil in Combination With Anti-HIV Therapy (HAART) in HIV-Positive Patients
The purpose of this study is to see if it is safe and effective to give an experimental
 anti-HIV drug, adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), in combination with other anti-HIV drugs (HAART) to
 patients who have a viral load (level of HIV in the blood) between 50 and 400 copies/ml.
Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms in a 2:1 ratio. Approximately 260 patients receive ADV
 and approximately 130 patients receive placebo. Patients receive ADV or placebo in addition
 to L-carnitine and their current stable HAART regimen. Each patient receives blinded study
 medication for 48 weeks and is evaluated at Weeks 16, 24, and 48. Patients who reach the
 primary endpoint of virologic failure prior to Week 48 may continue blinded study medication
 or receive open-label ADV at the investigator's discretion. In both cases, patients continue
 their study visits as per the original visit schedule. Virologic failure is defined as 2
 consecutive HIV-1 RNA measurements, after baseline, above 400 copies/ml (measured by the
 Roche Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor UltraSensitive assay) drawn at least 14 days apart. All patients
 who complete study visits without treatment-limiting ADV toxicity may continue open-label ADV
 in the Maintenance Phase at the discretion of the principal investigator.
Inclusion Criteria

 You may be eligible for this study if you:

 -  Are HIV-positive.

 -  Have been on a stable HAART regimen consisting of at least 3 antiretroviral drugs for
 at least 16 weeks prior to study entry.

 -  Have a CD4 count of 50 cells/mm3 or more.

 -  Have a viral load greater than 50 and less than or equal to 400 copies/ml within 14
 days prior to study entry.

 -  Have had at least 1 additional viral load in the past that was less than or equal to
 400 copies/ml while on your current stable HAART regimen.