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New Study: Growth Hormone and/or Rosiglitazone for HIV-Associated Increased Abdominal Fat and Insulin Resistance  
 
 
  This study is currently recruiting patients.
 
Sponsored by:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00130286
 
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to determine if the combination of recombinant human growth hormone plus rosiglitazone (an insulin-sensitizing drug) is safe and more effective than either drug alone (or no active therapy) for the treatment of fat accumulation in people with HIV infection and insulin resistance.
 
Study Design: Treatment, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Control, Factorial Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study
 
Official Title: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone and/or Rosiglitazone in the Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Visceral Adiposity and Insulin Resistance
 
Further study details as provided by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK):
 
Primary Outcomes: Change in insulin sensitivity
Secondary Outcomes: Change in body fat (total and regional; visceral and subcutaneous); Other body composition and metabolic endpoints.
 
The study is for people whose major problem is belly fat accumulation and that is the main target of the study. But the investigators will also examine changes in fat loss. Since growth hormone can reduce fat there is concern in theory that GH could increase fat loss in the face so patients with severe lipoatrophy may want to consider this. The investigators hope however that the rosiglitazone might increase fat and counter any fat loss due to GH.
 
Whole body MRIs to look at visceral and subcutaneous fat, which will allow examining if there are improvements in body fat or lipoatrophy.
 
DEXAs to look at changes in regional fat, which gives you a more precise change in total fat and regional fat like in arms and legs and trunk to look at lipoatrophy.
 
Total Body Water measurement will be conducted to see if water is being retained both growth hormone and rosiglitazone can lead to inordinate fluid retention.
 
Expected Total Enrollment: 80
 
Study start: March 2005; Expected completion: October 2008 Last follow-up: April 2008; Data entry closure: June 2008
 
A number of people with HIV infection who gain weight in the abdomen (sometimes called lipodystrophy) also have a high level of the sugar-controlling hormone called insulin. These people need to produce this extra insulin to help keep their blood sugar normal. This is called "insulin resistance."
 
Studies have shown that growth hormone (also called "Serostim") can decrease abdominal fat, but it can also worsen the insulin resistance. Rosiglitazone (also called "Avandia") is used to treat insulin resistance in people who have diabetes, so we want to see if taking growth hormone and rosiglitazone together will be better for treating the fat accumulation part of lipodystrophy than either drug alone or no active therapy.
 
The study is 24 weeks long, divided into two 12-week parts.
 
The first part of the study is double-blind, meaning that neither participants nor the study staff will know which drugs participants are on. Participants will be assigned randomly (like flipping a coin) to one of four groups:
 
1. Growth hormone (one injection, daily) PLUS rosiglitazone (one tablet, twice daily).
2. Growth hormone PLUS rosiglitazone placebo ("sugar pill").
3. Growth hormone placebo (plain water injection) PLUS rosiglitazone.
4. Growth hormone placebo PLUS rosiglitazone placebo.
 
Everyone in the study will need to be hospitalized overnight for special tests at the beginning of the study and at week 12.
 
The second part of the study is open-label, meaning that participants and the study staff will know which drugs participants are receiving. All volunteers will receive both active drugs:
 
- Growth hormone (one 2 mg injection, every other day) PLUS rosiglitazone (one 4 mg tablet, twice daily).
 
Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years - 65 Years, Genders Eligible for Study: Both Criteria
 
Inclusion Criteria:
 
- HIV-infected
- On stable Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antiretrovirals for at least 8 weeks
- Excess abdominal fat based on waist and hip measurements done at the screening visit. [waist greater than 34.7 inches (men) or 29.6 inches (women) and waist to hip ratio greater than 0.95 (men) or 0.9 (women)]
- Evidence of insulin resistance (based on fasting glucose and insulin levels done at screening)
- Triglycerides less than 750 mg/dL
 
Exclusion Criteria:
 
- Pregnancy
- Active AIDS-defining infection or other acute illness, within 30 days of entry.
- Active cancer (except for localized Kaposi's sarcoma) or active brain tumor - Any diagnosis of pancreatitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes, angina, coronary artery disease, or disorder associated with fluid retention (examples: cirrhosis, congestive heart failure) - Untreated or uncontrolled high blood pressure, within 30 days of entry.
 
Within 12 weeks of study entry, use of the following:
- Obesity (fat-reducing) drugs.
- Anti-diabetic or insulin-sensitizing drugs (examples: rosiglitazone, pioglitazone, or metformin).
- Systemic glucocorticoids (example: prednisone).
- Growth hormone or any medication for AIDS-associated wasting. - Systemic chemotherapy, interferon, or radiation therapy.
- Androgenic agents [examples: nandrolone, oxandrolone (Oxandrin) (testosterone replacement therapy is permitted if started more than 30 days before entry)]
- Appetite stimulants (Marinol, Megace, Periactin). - Use of cholesterol lowering drugs, unless started more than 12 weeks before entry
- Inability to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan performed (examples: cardiac pacemaker, intracranial aneurysm clips)
 
Location and Contact Information
Please refer to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00130286
 
Glenn Sturge, B.S. 212-746-4166 gls2003@med.cornell.edu Valery Hughes, FNP 212-746-4393 vah9001@med.cornell.edu
 
New York
Cornell HIV Clinical Trials Unit,
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, 10021, United States; Recruiting Glenn Sturge, B.S. 212-746-4166 gls2003@med.cornell.edu Valery Hughes, FNP 212-746-4393 vah9001@med.cornell.edu Marshall J Glesby, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
 
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, New York, 10025, United States; Recruiting
Janet Sheikhan, RN 212-523-3671
Ellen Engelson, Ed.D. 212-523-3670
Donald Kotler, MD, Principal Investigator
 
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, 10032, United States; Recruiting
Carlos Lopez, MD 212-305-2920
Daniel Donovan, MD, MSc, Principal Investigator
Michael Yin, MD, MSc, Sub-Investigator
 
Study chairs or principal investigators
 
Marshall J Glesby, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
 
 
 
 
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