CMV Retinitis, Newly Diagnosed: RS-79070 Trial in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Durham, Houston, Irvine, Los Angeles(?), Miami

Persons with newly diagnosed CMV retinitis may be eligible for this trial which compares RS-79070 with currently approved intravenous ganciclovir for CMV retinitis. After four weeks for the randomized comparison, volunteers in either group will be allowed to continue treatment with open-label RS-79070.

For the first three weeks (induction phase), both groups will receive treatment twice a day -- either with 5 mg/kg of intravenous ganciclovir, or 900 mg orally of RS-79070. After the induction, each group will receive the same treatment only once per day (maintenance phase). After one week on the maintenance dose, the blinded study will be over, and volunteers can continue treatment with RS-79070, the oral prodrug.

This trial has not been well known and so far has recruited only 13 of the total of 60 to 70 volunteers it needs -- which may have helped precipitate the decision to suspend development of the large phase III trials.

For contact information for a site in your city, call the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service, 800/TRIALS-A.(Note: As of May 1, this trial was not yet in the regular database at ACTIS, but the contact information was available in card file there. Also as of May 1, a Los Angeles site is possible but not yet official.)