Intermittent Use of Aerosolized Ribavirin for Treatment of RSV

Primary Objectives:

1. To determine whether aerosolized ribavirin is effective when given at an intermittent dose over 3 hours every 8 hours for therapy of RSV upper respiratory tract infection (URI) and whether it can prevent progression to pneumonia.
2. To determine the effect of this regimen on persistence of viral shedding.

Ribavirin is the drug that is normally given to treat upper respiratory infections caused by RSV. The drug is only effective when inhaled as an aerosol. This treatment requires the patient to be in a tent and inhale the medication. The usual method for administering this drug has been to inhale the medication continuously over 18 hours. In this study, the same total dose of the medication will be used, however, treatment will be for 3 hours every 8 hours.

As part of your standard care, before treatment you will have blood drawn (around 2 teaspoons) for routine blood tests. You will have a washing from your throat and nose collected. For this procedure, around 1 teaspoon of saline will be sprayed into each nostril and you will blow your nose into a cup. You will have a swab of the nose and throat. You will also have a chest x-ray to check on the status of the disease. Women who are able to have children must have a negative blood or urine pregnancy test.

Before treatment, you will be randomly assigned (as in the toss of a coin) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive treatment with ribavirin over 3 hours every 8 hours. Participants in the other group will receive treatment using the standard treatment schedule, ribavirin over 18 hours every 24 hours.

For both groups, the drug will be administered as an aerosol using a face mask. This will require you to be in a tent while you are receiving therapy. Treatment will last between 5 and 10 days. This will require hospitalization. In addition to ribavirin treatment, you will also receive Xopenex inhalation therapy every 6 - 8 hours. Xopenex is a drug designed to make breathing easier. We may need to use another breathing treatment, albuterol inhalation therapy for one time if needed, directly after receiving ribavirin to make breathing easier.

Every 2-4 days during treatment you will have blood collected (around 2 teaspoons) for routine tests. On Days 3 and 7 of treatment (+/- 2 days), you will have a repeat throat and nose washings/swabs. The washings and swabs will then be repeated once a week for 2 weeks, or until 2 consecutive cultures are negative, if that occurs sooner. If your doctor feels it is necessary, you may have a repeat chest x-ray.

If at any time you develop signs of pneumonia, you will be removed from the study and will be treated with the standard schedule of ribavirin by continuous inhalation and/or other therapy for 18 hours a day. Also, if you develop any intolerable side effects, you will be taken off the study and your doctor will discuss other treatment options with you.

This is an investigational study. Ribavirin is FDA approved and is commercially available. However, the method of administration of ribavirin is investigational. Up to 50 patients will participate in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with these underlying malignancies will be eligible for this study: Autologous BMT patients, Allogeneic BMT patients, and patients with hematological malignancy.
2. Patients must be at least 5 years of age.
3. Only patients with infection limited to the URT will be eligible for entry on study
4. Patients will be eligible for entry on study if a nasopharyngeal wash or throat swab specimen is positive by rapid RSV antigen testing or by a positive culture for RSV.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with evidence of RSV LRTI as documented by a positive rapid RSV antigen testing or by a positive culture for RSV from a nasopharyngeal wash or throat swab AND new infiltrates on chest radiograph and/or abnormal blood gas determination
2. Patients with hypersensitivity to ribavirin or its components
3. Pregnant women. Participants must practice birth control during the study if they are sexually active. If the participant is pregnant, she may not be enrolled on this study. Mothers should refrain from breast-feeding during the study to avoid injury to their children.
4. Patients with positive RSV by rapid testing or culture in bronchoalveolar lavage regardless of the chest radiographic results.