HIV vaccines may help the immune systems of HIV infected patients better control the virus. The goal of this study is to determine whether patients on anti-HIV medications can stop taking those medications if they receive an HIV vaccine. While taking anti-HIV medications, participants will recieve either an HIV vaccine or a placebo. Participants will then stop taking their anti-HIV medications and the study will compare the viral loads of participants who received the vaccine with the viral loads of participants who received the placebo.

Condition	Treatment or Intervention	Phase
HIV Infections	Vaccine: MRK Ad5 HIV-1 Gag vaccine	Phase II

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has a significant impact on HIV disease; however, HIV cannot be cured with current drug regimens. While the majority of patients initially benefit from ART, drug regimens subsequently fail for many patients due to drug resistance, poor adherence, or toxicity. If given while HIV replication is kept in check by ART, an HIV vaccine may be able to generate an effective long-term immune response capable of controlling the virus, even if ART is discontinued.

The MRK Ad5 HIV-1 Gag vaccine uses a replication-defective adenovirus vector and has been found safe in clinical trials of both HIV infected and HIV uninfected adults. This study will evaluate the ability of immunization with the MRK Ad5 HIV-1 Gag vaccine to control HIV replication in individuals undergoing treatment interruption. The study will enroll individuals whose HIV replication has been successfully suppressed with ART for at least 2 years.

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive either vaccine or placebo. Both vaccine and placebo will be injected into the upper arm muscle. Participants will take their antiretroviral medications during the first 3 months of the study. Injections will be given on Day 1, Week 4, and Week 26. A study nurse will call participants 1 or 2 days after each injection and participants will be asked to fill out a card with any reactions they have to the injections. About 3 months after the third injection, participants will stop taking their antiretroviral medications for 4 months. Participants will have study visits every 2 to 3 weeks while off medication. After 4 months, participants will have the option of restarting antiretroviral medications or continuing without medication. Participants will then have study visits every 2 months for 8 months. Study visits will include physical exams and blood collection.

All participants will continue to see their primary care provider for HIV treatment and will be restarted on antiretroviral medications if clinically indicated. Participants or their primary care provider will be contacted by phone for updates every 6 months for an additional 3.5 years.

Ages Eligible for Study:  18 Years   -   50 Years,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• HIV infected
• On a stable antiretroviral medication regimen (no changes to treatment within 4 weeks of study entry)
• Viral load less than 50 copies/ml
• At least one documented viral load of 1000 copies/ml or greater within 2 years before starting antiretroviral medications
• Viral suppression for 2 years prior to study entry (documented viral loads less than 500 copies/ml)
• CD4 count of 500 cells/mm3 or greater
• Ad5 neutralizing antibody less than 200 units at screening
• Willing to stop antiretroviral medications for at least 16 weeks post-vaccination
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C virus uninfected
• Weight > 110 lbs.
• Agrees to use acceptable methods of contraception

Exclusion Criteria

• Two consecutive viral loads of 500 copies/ml or greater at least 14 days apart during the 24 months prior to study entry
• Two consecutive CD4 counts less than 300 cells/mm3 before starting antiretroviral medications
• History of anaphylaxis
• Allergy to vaccine components
• History of cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, pancreatic, or neurologic disease which, in the opinion of the study official, will compromise study participation
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Contraindication to intramuscular injection, such as anticoagulant therapy or thrombocytopenia
• Immune globulin or blood products within 3 months prior to study entry
• Live vaccine within 30 days prior to study entry
• Inactivated vaccine within 14 days prior to study entry
• Previous HIV vaccine
• History of an AIDS-defining illness. Patients with a history of Kaposi’s sarcoma limited to the skin may participate.
• Currently taking drugs or other substances not approved by the FDA. Patients may be on antiretroviral agents not yet approved by the FDA as part of a clinical trial or through an expanded access program.
• Immunomodulatory agents (interferon, IL-2, GM-CSF, systemic corticosteroids, etc.) within 30 days prior to study entry
• Active alcohol or substance abuse which may interfere with the study

California
      Stanford University, Stanford,  California,  94305-5107,  United States; Recruiting
      San Mateo County AIDS Program, Stanford,  California,  94305-5107,  United States; Recruiting
      Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Stanford,  California,  94305-5107,  United States; Recruiting
      Willow Clinic, Stanford,  California,  94305-5107,  United States; Recruiting
      UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles,  California,  90095-1793,  United States; Recruiting
      San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco,  California,  94110,  United States; Recruiting
      University of California, San Diego Antiviral Rese, San Diego,  California,  92103,  United States; Recruiting
      University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacremento,  California,  95814,  United States; Recruiting
Colorado
      Univ. of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Denver,  Colorado,  80262-3706,  United States; Recruiting
Florida
      University of Miami, Miami,  Florida,  33136-1013,  United States; Not yet recruiting
Hawaii
      University of Hawaii, Honolulu,  Hawaii,  96816-2396,  United States; Recruiting
Maryland
      University of Maryland, Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore,  Maryland,  21201,  United States; Recruiting
Massachusetts
      Harvard (Massachusetts General Hospital), Boston,  Massachusetts,  02114,  United States; Not yet recruiting
      Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02115,  United States; Not yet recruiting
      Beth Israel Deaconess - West Campus, Boston,  Massachusetts,  02215,  United States; Recruiting
Minnesota
      University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  55455-0392,  United States; Recruiting
Missouri
      Washington University (St. Louis), St. Louis,  Missouri,  63108-2138,  United States; Recruiting
New York
      Community Health Network, Inc., Rochester,  New York,  14642-0001,  United States; Recruiting
      Beth Israel Medical Center, New York,  New York,  10003,  United States; Recruiting
      The Cornell Clinical Trials Unit, New York,  New York,  10021,  United States; Recruiting
      Chelsea Clinic, New York,  New York,  10011,  United States; Recruiting
North Carolina
      University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,  North Carolina,  27514,  United States; Recruiting
Ohio
      Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland,  Ohio,  44106-5083,  United States; Not yet recruiting
      Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland,  Ohio,  44106,  United States; No longer recruiting
      MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland,  Ohio,  44109-1998,  United States; Recruiting
Pennsylvania
      University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  15213-2582,  United States; Recruiting
Rhode Island
      The Miriam Hospital, Providence,  Rhode Island,  02906,  United States; Recruiting
Texas
      University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas,  Texas,  75235-9173,  United States; Recruiting
Washington
      University of Washington (Seattle), Seattle,  Washington,  98104,  United States; Recruiting
Puerto Rico
      University of Puerto Rico, San Juan,  00936-5067,  Puerto Rico; Recruiting

Study chairs or principal investigators

Robert T. Schooley, MD,  Study Chair,  University of Colorado   

Study ID Numbers:  ACTG A5197
Record last reviewed:  October 2004
Record first received:  March 23, 2004
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00080106
Health Authority: United States: Food and Drug Administration
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2004-11-08