Conditions: HIV-1 Infection
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Enrollment: 98
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
ACTG A5275 was a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over design pilot study evaluating the effect of atorvastatin on biomarkers of inflammation, coagulopathy, angiogenesis, and T-lymphocyte activation in HIV-1 infected individuals with suppressed HIV-1 RNA on stable protease inhibitor based antiretroviral therapy with fasting LDL cholesterol \< 130 mg/dL.

Atorvastatin is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating high cholesterol. Atorvastatin has also been able to lower the level of inflammation blood tests in certain other diseases but has not been studied for this purpose in people who have HIV. The main goal of this experimental study is to see how taking atorvastatin affects inflammation blood tests in people infected with HIV who do not need to take medicine for high cholesterol. In addition to observing the effects of atorvastatin on the level of inflammation measured in the blood, this study evaluated if atorvastatin is safe for people with HIV who are also taking medication for HIV.

Detailed description:
Since people started taking HIV medications, illness from AIDS has decreased, but other serious diseases like heart disease (heart attacks) and certain kinds of cancer have increased. HIV causes inflammation (irritation) inside the body that cannot be felt but can be measured by levels of certain inflammation blood tests. Inflammation may contribute to diseases (such as heart attacks) that have become some of the leading causes of death in people with HIV. HIV therapy can partially lower levels of inflammation measured in blood, however, levels of inflammation in people who have HIV who are taking certain kinds of anti-HIV drugs may remain high compared with those found in people not infected with HIV.

Arms:
arm 1: At study entry (week 0), participants continued the entry boosted PI-based antiretroviral regimen (not provided by the study) and initiated atorvastatin at a daily dose of 10 mg for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of atorvastatin toxicity were found, the dose of atorvastatin was increased to 20 mg daily at the week 4 visit. At week 20, atorvastatin was stopped for a 4-week washout period.

At week 24, placebo was started for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of toxicity were found, the placebo dose was doubled at week 28. At week 44, the placebo was stopped to allow for another 4-week washout period. arm 2: At study entry (week 0), participants continued the entry boosted PI-based antiretroviral regimen (not provided by the study) and initiated placebo for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of toxicity were found, the dose of placebo was doubled at the week 4 visit. At week 20, the placebo was stopped for a 4-week washout period.

At week 24, atorvastatin was started at a daily dose of 10 mg for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of atorvastatin toxicity were found, the dose of atorvastatin was increased to 20 mg daily at week 28. At week 44, atorvastatin was stopped to allow for another 4-week washout period.

Interventions: intervention 1: atorvastatin intervention 2: atorvastatin intervention 3: placebo for atorvastin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 10 mg daily for 4 weeks, if no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of atorvastatin toxicity, dose increase to 20 mg daily from week 4- week 20 intervention 2: Starting at week 24, 10 mg daily for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of atorvastatin toxicity were found, 20 mg daily from week 28- week 44. intervention 3: One tablet once daily for 4 weeks. If no symptoms or lab findings suggestive of toxicity were found, then increase the dose to two tablets once daily.

Protocol document: