(ATN) Wasting Syndrome: Good Results with Prescription Drug

(ATN) Wasting Syndrome: Good Results with Prescription Drug

AIDS TREATMENT NEWS No. 071 - December 16, 1988
John S. James

Megace (megestrol acetate), a readily available drug usually used to treat advanced breast cancer in women, showed good results in treating wasting syndrome (cachexia) in every one of 14 persons with HIV (13 of whom had AIDS) reported in an article published last month. (Von Roenn JH and others, Megestrol acetate for treatment of cachexia associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, Annals of Internal Medicine, pages 840-841, November 15, 1988.)

The patients selected for the study were all HIV positive, and had all lost at least 10 percent of their body weight and were losing weight when they began the treatment. All patients gained weight on the treatment, at an average rate of .5 kg per week. All reported improved appetite, and seven also reported a marked improvement in sense of well-being. No side effects were noted. However, four patients have died from recurrent opportunistic infections.

In San Francisco, the County Community Consortium plans to begin a trial of megace in January. Any physician in the San Francisco area can participate in this trial. Physicians can of course also prescribe the drug on their own.

For more information about the Consortium trial, physicians can call principal investigator Jim Kahn, M.D., or clinical trials coordinator Carroll Child, R.N. Both can be reached through the AIDS Activities office of San Francisco General Hospital, 415/821-5531.

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