AEGiS-GMHC: Treatment Briefs: Thalidomide for Diarrhea

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Treatment Briefs: Thalidomide for Diarrhea

GMHC Treatment Issues, Vol. 10, No. 4 - April 1996

Celgene is beginning a phase II study of thalidomide as a treatment for chronic diarrhea in people with HIV. Thalidomide, already under testing for AIDS-associated wasting, commonly causes constipation as a side effect. This unwanted activity actually can be advantageous in people with untreatable diarrhea. A recent open label study in London found that thalidomide reduced the number of bowel movements, increased weight and reduced levels of TNF in patients with severe diarrhea (mostly from microsporidiosis) who had failed all other available treatments.

The 28-day trial will randomize 120 people to placebo or 100 mg of thalidomide daily at bedtime. Besides diarrhea, the trial will monitor changes in body weight, quality of life and TNF in small bowel tissue. Enrollment already has begun in London. Other sites are expected to open soon in Mexico and the U.S. (St. Luke's Hospital in New York).

960401
GM100411

Copyright © 1996 - Treatment Issues. Reproduced with permission. Treatment Issues is published twelve times yearly by GMHC, Inc. All rights reserved. Noncommercial reproduction is encouraged. Subscription lists are kept confidential. GMHC Treatment Issues, The Tisch Building, 119 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011 fredg@gmhc.org http://www.gmhc.org

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .