Merck Protease Inhibitor MK-639 -- Trial Cities Announced

Two large trials of the Merck protease inhibitor MK-639 are
now recruiting in the U.S. One is for people who have never
taken AZT or other antiretrovirals (less than two weeks is
permissible), and the other is for those who have used AZT.

Protocol 033: AZT Naive

This trial is seeking 780 volunteers who have not taken AZT,
and who have CD4 (T-helper) counts between 50 and 500. They
must be willing to take AZT, because they will be randomly
assigned to either MK-639 alone, AZT alone, or the
combination, during the 12 months of the trial. After 12
months, if the drug is found to be safe and effective, those
who have completed the study, no matter what treatment they
were assigned, will be offered MK-639.

Patients will also be excluded for certain abnormal blood-
chemistry tests, or for active infections or certain cancers.

This trial will be conducted at sites in the following U.S.
cities:

Birmingham, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale FL,
Hampton VA, Hershey PA, Honolulu, Houston, Irvine CA,
Lexington KY, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New
Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia (2 sites), Portland
OR, Prairie Village KS, Providence RI, Redwood City CA, Salt
Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Sherman Oaks
CA, Stonybrook NY, Tampa, Washington DC.

Besides the U.S. sites, there are sites in Canada, France,
Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. In Canada, call 515/428-
2369; in France, 33-147-54-89-90; in Germany, 49-89-45611104;
in Spain, 34-1-321-9726; and in Switzerland, 41-18287308.

For information about enrolling in this trial, call the Merck
Protease Inhibitor Information Line, 800/379-1332, between 8
a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.

Protocol 035: AZT Experienced

This trial is seeking 90 volunteers with CD4 counts between
50 and 400. They must have used AZT for at least six months
but have never used 3TC or any protease inhibitor; however,
prior use of ddI, ddC, or d4T is OK. They will be tested and
must have plasma HIV RNA of at least 20,000 copies, and they
must not have certain abnormal blood chemistry values.
Volunteers will be randomly assigned to receive either MK-639
alone, AZT plus 3TC, or the combination of all three drugs.

Trial sites are in Chapel Hill, New York City, Pittsburgh,
and San Diego.

For information, call the Merck Protease Inhibitor
Information Line, 800/379-1332, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Eastern time Monday through Friday.