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CompletedNCT00000676Updated Nov 2, 2021

Randomized Comparative Study of Fluconazole Versus Clotrimazole Troches in the Prevention of Serious Fungal Infection in Patients With AIDS or Advanced AIDS-Related Complex. (A Nested Study of ACTG 081)

A Phase 3 interventional study of Clotrimazole and Fluconazole in Candidiasis, Mycoses and HIV Infections, sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Completed at 26 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-11-02.

Sponsored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) · Phase 3, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
500
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

To study the effectiveness, safety, and tolerance of fluconazole versus clotrimazole troches (lozenges) as prophylaxis (preventive treatment) against fungal infections in patients enrolled in ACTG 081 (a study of prophylaxis against pneumocystosis, toxoplasmosis, and serious bacterial infection). Primarily, to compare the rates of invasive infections by C. neoformans, endemic mycoses, and Candida. To compare the mortality rates due to fungal infections between two antifungal prophylactic treatments. Secondarily, to assess the effect of prophylaxis on the incidence of severe fungal infections, defined as invasive infections and esophageal candidiasis and less severe mucocutaneous infection.

Serious fungal infections are significant complicating and life-threatening occurrences in patients with advanced HIV infection. Oropharyngeal candidiasis is found in almost all such patients, and causes pain, difficulty in swallowing, and loss of appetite. Similarly, esophageal candidiasis causes illness in the population. Cryptococcosis, endemic mycoses, and coccidioidomycosis also cause significant illness and death in AIDS patients. Once established, fungal infections in AIDS patients generally require continuous suppressive therapy because attempts at curing these infections are usually unsuccessful. Fluconazole has a number of characteristics that would make it a logical candidate to examine as a prophylactic agent in patients with advanced HIV infection. Animal studies have shown it to be prophylactic in models of candidiasis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, and coccidioidomycosis. Initial experience in patients with active cryptococcal meningitis appears favorable, and studies of oropharyngeal candidiasis show it to be effective.

Read the detailed description

Serious fungal infections are significant complicating and life-threatening occurrences in patients with advanced HIV infection. Oropharyngeal candidiasis is found in almost all such patients, and causes pain, difficulty in swallowing, and loss of appetite. Similarly, esophageal candidiasis causes illness in the population. Cryptococcosis, endemic mycoses, and coccidioidomycosis also cause significant illness and death in AIDS patients. Once established, fungal infections in AIDS patients generally require continuous suppressive therapy because attempts at curing these infections are usually unsuccessful. Fluconazole has a number of characteristics that would make it a logical candidate to examine as a prophylactic agent in patients with advanced HIV infection. Animal studies have shown it to be prophylactic in models of candidiasis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, and coccidioidomycosis. Initial experience in patients with active cryptococcal meningitis appears favorable, and studies of oropharyngeal candidiasis show it to be effective.

AMENDED: 11/01/90 Sufficient numbers of patients will be enrolled from all centers starting at week 8 of participation in the parent study to achieve a total of 240 evaluable patients who will remain in the nested study for a maximum duration of 45 months. Enrollment will continue until all eligible and interested 081 patients are enrolled. Fungal prophylaxis will begin at the time of enrollment into the nested study and will continue until an efficacy or safety end point is reached, until withdrawal from the nested study, or until death.

Original design: Patients included are those already enrolled in ACTG 081. Patients are enrolled from all centers at either week 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, or 32 of participation in the parent study. They are randomized to receive either oral fluconazole or clotrimazole troches. Prophylaxis continues until a serious fungal infection develops, the end of the parent study is reached (which is expected to be December 1991), the patient withdraws from either the nested or parent study, or the patient dies. Clinical examination is performed at 2 weeks and then monthly (or more if clinically indicated) for the duration of antifungal prophylaxis; the schedule of evaluation is the same as for the parent study. There is a 1-month postprophylaxis follow-up after discontinuation of prophylaxis for any reason.

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Conditions studied

  • Candidiasis
  • Mycoses
  • HIV Infections

Keywords

  • Mycoses
  • Fluconazole
  • Clotrimazole
  • Antifungal Agents
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • AIDS-Related Complex
03

In context

Candidiasis

132 studies on the registry are indexed under Candidiasis; 9 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 500 is above the median of 91 across 86 interventional studies indexed under Candidiasis.

Browse Candidiasis studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the lead sponsor of 2,446 studies on the registry; 179 are open to participants now.

Of its 405 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 302 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

Concurrent Medication:

Required:

  • Zidovudine (AZT).
  • Antipneumocystis prophylaxis.

Allowed:

  • Topical suppressive antifungal agents.

Eligibility requirements are:

  • Participation in NIAID ACTG 081.
  • No history of systemic fungal infection, including esophageal or systemic candidiasis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, sporotrichosis, or aspergillosis.
  • Willingness to sign an .
  • Transaminases \< 5 x .
  • Noncompliance will not be a reason for withdrawal of a patient from the study, unless patient refuses further treatment.

Allowed:

  • A history of oropharyngeal, vaginal or cutaneous candidiasis.
  • Dermatophyte infections (i.e., tinea pedis) at entry but not active candida infection. Sites of suspected dermatophyte involvement other than the feet should have candida excluded by culture.

Prior Medication:

Allowed:

  • Topical suppressive antifungal agents.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

Co-existing Condition:

Patients with the following conditions or diseases are excluded:

  • History of systemic fungal infection, including esophageal or systemic candidiasis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, sporotrichosis, or aspergillosis.
  • Active systemic fungal infection at time of enrollment.
  • Active superficial fungal infection at time of entry. (Such patients may be treated with topical antifungal agents and may be randomized if they are in clinical remission 14 days after completion of such therapy.)

Concurrent Medication:

Excluded:

  • Amphotericin B.
  • Fluconazole.
  • Itraconazole.
  • SCH 39304.
  • Other systemic antifungals.

Patients with the following are excluded:

  • Previous or currently active systemic fungal infection.
  • History of allergy or intolerance to imidazole or azoles.
  • Positive serum cryptococcal antigen titer at any dilution.
  • Requiring multi-agent therapy for tuberculosis or for symptomatic Mycobacterium avium infection.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

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You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Enrollment
500 participants

Interventions

06

Study locations

26 sites
  • Stanford CRS
    Palo Alto, California, United States
  • Ucsd, Avrc Crs
    San Diego, California 92093, United States
  • Ucsf Aids Crs
    San Francisco, California, United States
  • Univ. of Miami AIDS CRS
    Miami, Florida 33136, United States
  • Northwestern University CRS
    Chicago, Illinois, United States
  • Rush Univ. Med. Ctr. ACTG CRS
    Chicago, Illinois, United States
  • Indiana Univ. School of Medicine, Infectious Disease Research Clinic
    Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States
  • Tulane Med. Ctr. - Charity Hosp. of New Orleans, ACTU
    New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
  • Johns Hopkins Adult AIDS CRS
    Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States
  • Bmc Actg Crs
    Boston, Massachusetts 02118, United States
  • Beth Israel Deaconess - East Campus A0102 CRS
    Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Med. Ctr., ACTG CRS
    Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
  • University of Minnesota, ACTU
    Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
  • Washington U CRS
    Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
  • SUNY - Buffalo, Erie County Medical Ctr.
    Buffalo, New York 14215, United States
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Ctr.
    New York, New York 10021, United States
  • Beth Israel Med. Ctr. (Mt. Sinai)
    New York, New York, United States
  • Univ. of Rochester ACTG CRS
    Rochester, New York, United States
  • Unc Aids Crs
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
  • Duke Univ. Med. Ctr. Adult CRS
    Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
  • Univ. of Cincinnati CRS
    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
  • Case CRS
    Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
  • The Ohio State Univ. AIDS CRS
    Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
  • Pitt CRS
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
  • University of Washington AIDS CRS
    Seattle, Washington 98122, United States
  • Mbeya Med. Research Program, Mbeya Referral Hosp. CRS
    Mbeya, Tanzania
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Glick ME. CTG studies yield results. AIDS Clinical Trials Group. NIAID AIDS Agenda. 1995 Spring:8-9. PubMed 11362451 ↗
  • Hanna L. Treatment for HIV-related fungal infections. BETA. 1995 Jun:10-7. PubMed 11362539 ↗
  • Powderly WG. Fungal infections. Program Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1994 Oct 4-7:274
  • Powderly WG. Prophylaxis of fungal infection in HIV infection. Program Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1994 Oct 4-7:270
  • Powderly WG, Finkelstein D, Feinberg J, Frame P, He W, van der Horst C, Koletar SL, Eyster ME, Carey J, Waskin H, et al. A randomized trial comparing fluconazole with clotrimazole troches for the prevention of fungal infections in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection. NIAID AIDS Clinical Trials Group. N Engl J Med. 1995 Mar 16;332(11):700-5. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199503163321102. PubMed 7854376 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 2, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00000676
Collaborators
Pfizer
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 31, 2001
Completion
Nov 1993
Last update
Nov 2, 2021

Study contacts

Bozzettee S
study chair
Powderly WG
study chair
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drugs tested here: Clotrimazole · Fluconazole

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