NCT00587496

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether oral Valtrex alone or in combination with aspirin will reduce the shedding of herpes simplex virus DNA in the tears and saliva from volunteers with no evidence of ocular herpes infection. The secretion of virus into the tears and saliva might make people more susceptible to virus infection in the future if their immune system becomes deficient. The study will also try to determine if there is a correlation between shedding of viral DNA and herpes virus antibodies in serum and to determine if subjects are carriers of a special form of a gene in their blood cells, the presence of which may suggest the possibility of an increased susceptability to herpes and to Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
60

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_1

Timeline
Completed

Started Apr 2006

Typical duration for phase_1

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 2006

Completed
1.7 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 21, 2007

Completed
17 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

January 7, 2008

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2008

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2008

Completed
Last Updated

January 7, 2008

Status Verified

December 1, 2007

Enrollment Period

2.3 years

First QC Date

December 21, 2007

Last Update Submit

December 21, 2007

Conditions

Keywords

HSV DNAvolunteers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Cessation of DNA shedding above the positive detection threshold

    30 days

Study Arms (3)

1

EXPERIMENTAL

placebo, 6 capsules per day for 30 days

Drug: placebo

2

EXPERIMENTAL

500 mg Valtrex one capsule per day plus 5 capsules of placebo per day for 30 days

Drug: valacyclovir hydrochloride

3

EXPERIMENTAL

500 mg Valtrex capsule one per day, Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) 325 mg capsules three per day, plus 2 placebo capsules per day for 30 days

Drug: valacyclovir plus aspirin

Interventions

500 mg capsule, one per day for 30 days

Also known as: Valtrex
2

lactose placebo capsule, six per day for 30 days

1

500 mg valacyclovir capsule, one per day for 30 days 325 mg acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) capsule, three per day for 30 days placebo capsule, two per day for 30 days

3

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • either sex
  • any race
  • over age of 21 years

You may not qualify if:

  • have active ocular herpetic lesion
  • had ocular herpetic lesion in past 30 days
  • taking systemic or oral antiviral drugs
  • have taken antiviral drugs in the past 30 days
  • taking aspirin or NSAIDs
  • have dry eyes
  • have hypersensitivity to acyclovir or valacyclovir
  • have hypersensitivity of contraindication to use of aspirin
  • have bleeding disorder
  • have GI ulcer
  • have kidney impairment
  • are pregnant or nursing
  • have participated in a clinical trial in the past 30 days

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

LSU Eye Center

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, United States

RECRUITING

Children's Hospital

New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (13)

  • Kaufman HE, Azcuy AM, Varnell ED, Sloop GD, Thompson HW, Hill JM. HSV-1 DNA in tears and saliva of normal adults. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Jan;46(1):241-7. doi: 10.1167/iovs.04-0614.

    PMID: 15623779BACKGROUND
  • Lindgren KM, Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. Significance of Herpesvirus hominis in respiratory secretions of man. N Engl J Med. 1968 Mar 7;278(10):517-23. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196803072781001. No abstract available.

    PMID: 4295319BACKGROUND
  • Douglas RG Jr, Couch RB. A prospective study of chronic herpes simplex virus infection and recurrent herpes labialis in humans. J Immunol. 1970 Feb;104(2):289-95. No abstract available.

    PMID: 4312871BACKGROUND
  • Scott DA, Coulter WA, Biagioni PA, O'Neill HO, Lamey PJ. Detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 shedding in the oral cavity by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at the prodromal stage of recrudescent herpes labialis. J Oral Pathol Med. 1997 Aug;26(7):305-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1997.tb00220.x.

    PMID: 9250929BACKGROUND
  • Hobson A, Wald A, Wright N, Corey L. Evaluation of a quantitative competitive PCR assay for measuring herpes simplex virus DNA content in genital tract secretions. J Clin Microbiol. 1997 Mar;35(3):548-52. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.3.548-552.1997.

    PMID: 9041386BACKGROUND
  • Ryncarz AJ, Goddard J, Wald A, Huang ML, Roizman B, Corey L. Development of a high-throughput quantitative assay for detecting herpes simplex virus DNA in clinical samples. J Clin Microbiol. 1999 Jun;37(6):1941-7. doi: 10.1128/JCM.37.6.1941-1947.1999.

    PMID: 10325351BACKGROUND
  • Kessler HH, Muhlbauer G, Rinner B, Stelzl E, Berger A, Dorr HW, Santner B, Marth E, Rabenau H. Detection of Herpes simplex virus DNA by real-time PCR. J Clin Microbiol. 2000 Jul;38(7):2638-42. doi: 10.1128/JCM.38.7.2638-2642.2000.

    PMID: 10878056BACKGROUND
  • Acyclovir for the prevention of recurrent herpes simplex virus eye disease. Herpetic Eye Disease Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998 Jul 30;339(5):300-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199807303390503.

    PMID: 9696640BACKGROUND
  • Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, Sacks SL, Tyring SK, Warren T, Douglas JM Jr, Paavonen J, Morrow RA, Beutner KR, Stratchounsky LS, Mertz G, Keene ON, Watson HA, Tait D, Vargas-Cortes M; Valacyclovir HSV Transmission Study Group. Once-daily valacyclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):11-20. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa035144.

    PMID: 14702423BACKGROUND
  • Crumpacker CS. Use of antiviral drugs to prevent herpesvirus transmission. N Engl J Med. 2004 Jan 1;350(1):67-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe038189. No abstract available.

    PMID: 14702430BACKGROUND
  • Gebhardt BM, Varnell ED, Kaufman HE. Acetylsalicylic acid reduces viral shedding induced by thermal stress. Curr Eye Res. 2004 Aug-Sep;29(2-3):119-25. doi: 10.1080/02713680490504588.

    PMID: 15512958BACKGROUND
  • Anon. New indications. Valtrex. FDA Drug Approvals 38:572-573, 2003.

    BACKGROUND
  • Sheskin DJ. Handbook of Parametric and Nonparametric tatistical Procedures. 2nd Edition. Chapman & Hall/CRC, Boca Raton, FL pp. 982,2000.

    BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Herpes Simplex

Interventions

ValacyclovirAspirin

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Herpesviridae InfectionsDNA Virus InfectionsVirus DiseasesInfectionsSkin Diseases, ViralSkin Diseases, InfectiousSkin DiseasesSkin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

AcyclovirGuanineHypoxanthinesPurinonesPurinesHeterocyclic Compounds, 2-RingHeterocyclic Compounds, Fused-RingHeterocyclic CompoundsSalicylatesHydroxybenzoatesPhenolsBenzene DerivativesHydrocarbons, AromaticHydrocarbons, CyclicHydrocarbonsOrganic Chemicals

Study Officials

  • Herbert E Kaufman, MD

    LSU Eye Center, LSU Health Sciences Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Emily D Varnell, BS

CONTACT

Robin Cooper, BS

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 1
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
NIH

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 21, 2007

First Posted

January 7, 2008

Study Start

April 1, 2006

Primary Completion

July 1, 2008

Study Completion

July 1, 2008

Last Updated

January 7, 2008

Record last verified: 2007-12

Locations