Northwestern University CRS

A5415: A Limited-Center, Prospective, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effects of Cenicriviroc Mesylate on Arterial Inflammation in People Living with HIV

People with HIV can have an increase in inflammation in their body organs even after taking anti-HIV medicines (ART, or antiretroviral therapy). Chronic HIV infection has been associated with a state of systemic inflammation and immune activation, thus increasing the incidence of heart disease and death from heart disease. HIV researchers are studying the harmful effects of this long-term inflammation and possible ways to prevent these complications.

The A5415 study is being conducted to investigate the effects of cenicriviroc (CVC) on arterial inflammation in individuals with HIV on stable suppressive ART. CVC is a medication being developed as a treatment for HIV and being studied as a possible drug to decrease blood vessel inflammation and plaque formation in the setting of chronic infection.

A5354: Effect of Antiretroviral Treatment Initiated During Acute HIV-1 Infection on Measures of HIV-1 Persistence and on HIV-1-Specific Immune Responses

Will evaluate whether starting antiretroviral drugs very early in HIV infection will limit the virus from getting into hidden areas of the body (reservoirs) and change how the immune system helps to control the virus.

This study will include people who have very recently been infected with HIV and will start anti-HIV (antiretroviral) drugs right away to see how this may change HIV’s impact on the body.

A5357: A Study of Long-Acting Cabotegravir Plus VRC-HIVMAB075-00-AB (VRC07-523LS) to Maintain Viral Suppression in Adults Living with HIV-1

This study is for people with HIV who have an undetectable viral load. The study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a combination of two medications. The first drug is called long-acting cabotegravir (CAB), which will be given orally during Part 1 of the study and then as an injection every 4 weeks during Part 2 of the study. The second drug is called VRC07-523LS, which is a monoclonal antibody. A monoclonal antibody targets human proteins rather than attacking the virus directly. This drug will be given intravenously (directly into a vein) over about 15 to 30 minutes every 8 weeks.

A5332: REPRIEVE Trial

In this study, people between the ages of 40 and 75 with HIV will be randomized (like flipping a coin) to take the pill pitavastatin OR a placebo (non-active pill) to see if pitavastatin can help prevent heart disease and death in people who are taking HIV medication. You will not know if you are taking pitavastatin or placebo. The REPRIEVE trial will enroll about 7500 people from several countries.

A5361s: Pitavastatin to REduce Physical Function Impairment and FRailty in HIV (PREPARE)

Aging with HIV may be associated with an earlier development of frailty (weakness) or disability, including difficulties in tests of strength or walking speed. Few treatments have been shown to prevent or slow these impairments in people with or without HIV. Some studies have suggested that the class of drugs called statins, such as pitavastatin, might be helpful in slowing frailty or disability. This might happen by decreasing fat within the muscle, or by decreasing inflammation markers in the blood. This study uses the REPRIEVE Trial (A5332) and the REPRIEVE Mechanistic Substudy (A5333s) to study the impact of pitavastatin on muscle.

A5401: ACTIV-2 Outpatient Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Therapies

A master protocol to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational agents for the treatment of symptomatic non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19. It begins with a phase II evaluation, followed by a transition into a larger phase III evaluation for promising agents.

A5379: B-ENHANCEMENT OF HBV VACCINATION IN PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV (BEe-HIVe): Evaluation of HEPLISAV-B

A5379 is a study looking at hepatitis B vaccination in adults living with HIV. Hepatitis B is a serious viral infection that affects the liver and is transmitted through blood and body fluids. The study will involve individuals who have received a previous hepatitis B vaccination but the vaccine did not respond well and individuals who have never received the vaccination. The study will take place both in the US and internationally. The study will compare how well an individual responds to the vaccine in different groups based on the type of vaccine and number of doses.

A5391: Doravirine for Obese Persons on Integrase Inhibitors and Tenofovir Alafenamide

Weight gain after starting HIV therapy is common, but recent studies have found that some people with HIV (PWH) who are taking an integrase inhibitor (INSTI) combined with a tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) regimen may gain more weight than people taking other drug combinations.  A rising number of PWH are overweight or obese, and a higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

This study will include PWH who have been virally suppressed on a regimen consisting of an integrase inhibitor (INSTI) and TAF/FTC or TAF/3TC, and have a BMI of 30 kg/m² (the cut-off for obesity) or greater. This research study is trying to find out if they could gain less weight, or maybe lose weight, after switching to a regimen containing doravirine (DOR) with TAF/FTC (or TAF/3TC), or DOR with the related medication tenofovir disproxil (TDF/FTC [or TDF/3TC]) as compared to continuation of their current INSTI plus TAF regimen.

A5383: Randomized, Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Anti-inflammatory Efficacy of Letermovir (Prevymis) in Adults with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 and Asymptomatic Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Who Are on Suppressive ART and Its Effect on Chronic Inflammation, HIV Persistence, and Other Clinical Outcomes (ELICIT)

This study will include 180 participants. Participants will have HIV and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is common virus that many people living with and without HIV have been exposed to. You do not need to know if you have CMV to be considered for study participation. About half of the study participants will be given study medication to be taken once daily for 48 weeks. The study medication will be letermovir, an FDA approved medication to prevent CMV. The other half of
participants will not receive any additional medication. The study will last about 1 year and 2 months.