ACTG 315 Preliminary Results: Drug Cocktail Restores Partial Immune Function

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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH National Institute of' Allergy
and Infectious Diseases
FOR RELEASE Laurie K. Doepel
Sunday, Jan. 26, 1907 [phone]
9:30 a.m. Eastern Time doepelcnih.gov
ACTG 315 Preliminary Results:
Drug Cocktail Restores Partial Immune Function
In-depth studies of immune function in people with moderately advanced HIV disease
who were treated for three months with an antiretroviral drug cocktail show that immunity can
be partially restored, according to preliminary results from AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)
315, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The drug
combination being tested consists of zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC) and the protease
inhibitor ritonavir.
Protocol chair Michael M. Lederman, M.D., plans to discuss these interim results in a
late-breaker session at the Fourth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic infections in
Washington, D-C., on Sunday, January 26 at 9:30 a.m. Dr. Lederman is director of the AIDS
Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western University.
Recent studies indicate that people who respond to highly active antiretroviral therapy
(HAART) -- drug combinations that include protease inhibitors --can experience decreased
plasma levels of HIV, increased circulating CD4+ T cell counts, decreasted risak of opportunistic
infections and decreased short-term mortality.
However, ACTG 315 is the first study to probe the immunologic consequences of such

therapy. This became possible last spring after the recompetition for ACTG funding included an
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