Studies of the Ocular Complications of AIDS (SOCA)--Monoclonal Antibody CMV Retinitis Trial (MACRT)

Launched by JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · Sep 23, 1999

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

CMV retinitis is the most common intraocular infection in patients with AIDS and is estimated to affect 35 to 40 percent of patients with AIDS. Untreated CMV retinitis is a progressive disorder, the end result of which is total retinal destruction and blindness. As of September 1996, drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of CMV retinitis were ganciclovir (Cytovene), foscarnet (Foscavir), and cidofovir (Vistide). All systemically administered anti-CMV drugs are given in a similar fashion consisting of initial 2-week high-dose treatment (indu...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion criteria:
• • 13 years or older at entry
• • Diagnosis of AIDS according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition
• • Diagnosis of active CMV retinitis as determined by a SOCA-certified ophthalmologist at time of enrollment
• • At least one lesion whose size is one-quarter or more optic disc area
• • Currently receiving (for relapsed patients) or scheduled to receive (for newly diagnosed patients) drugs for primary treatment of CMV retinitis that are not contraindicated for use with MSL-109
• • Visual acuity, in at least one eye that meets other eligibility criteria, of 3 or more letters on ETDRS chart at 1 meter distance (Snellen equivalent 5/200). Patients with poorer visual acuity may be enrolled if the visual acuity impairment is possibly reversible (eg, due to optic disc edema) and vision is at least light perception in that eye
• • Karnofsky score of 60 or more
• • Willingness and ability, with the assistance of a caregiver if necessary, to comply with treatment and follow up procedures
• • signed consent statement
• Exclusion criteria:
• • Current treatment with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG), CMV immune globulin (CMVIG), alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN), gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) or interleukin-2 (IL-2)
• • Media opacity that precludes visualization of the fundus in all eyes meeting eligibility criteria
• • Active medical problems, including drug or alcohol abuse, that are considered sufficient to hinder compliance with treatment or follow up procedures
• • Retinal detachment, not scheduled for surgical repair, in all eyes meeting other eligibility criteria