New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sherman Oaks, Stony Brook: Important Protease Trial Recruiting

A trial of the Merck protease inhibitor, code-named L-735,524
(L-524), is being conducted in the five cities above.

Volunteers must be asymptomatic, with a T-helper count under
500, and must be p24 positive (at least 25 pg/ml). They will
be randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: low dose
L-524, high dose L-524, or AZT. The trial will last for 24
weeks. "If L-735,524 is found to be well-tolerated and shows
biologic activity, participants who complete the study may
have the opportunity to continue in an extension to the
study." Sixty volunteers are being sought.

For more information, contact the site near you:

* Bellevue Hospital Clinical Research Unit, New York
University, 212/263-6565, clinic coordinator Mary Ann
Kiernan, R.N.

* University of Pennsylvania, Infectious Diseases Section,
Department of Medicine, 215/662-6932, clinic coordinators
Heidi Lehman, R.N., or Susan Hansen-Flaschen, R.N.

* Pitt Treatment Evaluation Unit, University of Pittsburgh,
412/647-8125, clinic coordinator Nancy Mantz, R.N.

* Pacific Oaks Medical Group, Department of Research and
Scientific Investigation, 818/906-6279, clinic coordinator
Jackie Bennette, R.N.

* AIDS Treatment and Evaluation Unit, University Hospital,
State University of New York at Stony Brook, 516/444-1658,
clinic coordinator Ruth Ann Burk, R.N.

Comment

Protease inhibitors, a new kind of anti-HIV drug, have
generated more interest among researchers than any other kind
of potential HIV treatment. A number of companies are
developing protease inhibitors, which are expected to begin
large-scale clinical trials in 1994. L-524 is one of the
leading drugs of this class.