The following is a list of studies of CAM therapies for HIV/AIDS and/or chronic hepatitis that are currently being conducted and which may also be seeking participants for enrollment. Please click on the study of interest to you for more information on contacting local hospitals.

FIAR has currently received NIH approval, working with Mt. Sinai Medical Center, to conduct two studies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE

For more information on these and future studies, please contact us!

Other studies currently up and running are found below. If you know of a study currently enrolling that is not listed here, please contact us. Please also see the ACRIA and AIDS Research Alliance websites.

AIDS Research Alliance is conducting a study of "prostratin" which is derived from Homolanthus nutans from the Samoan rainforest. This is a joint project with the NIH National Cancer Institute. One remarkable aspect of the study is that it is following the "fair trade" principles that FIAR will adhere to: should the study show any benefit and there are commercial benefits, 20% will return to the Samoan people.

A study is being conducted at Columbia University Medical Center on 168th Street of Fish Oil Supplement and/or fenofibrate to help manage elevated triglycerides (above 400). You need to have been on antiretroviral therapy for at least the past three months. Contact Michele at 212-305-2201.

A study is being conducted at Columbia University of Acupuncture and Moxibustion to help manage diarrhea. Contact Sharon Muscat at 212-305-3041.

In Houston, Texas, a study of diet, exercise and medication is being undertaken to address high cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides called the Heart Positive Study.

In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a study entitled L-Acetylcarnitine as Treatment of Antiretroviral-induced Peripheral Neuropathy is being conducted. The contact there is Jack DaSilva who may be reached at 604-806-8074. This information is listed on CATIE's website.

Another study in New York City of carnitine seeks to evaluate its effect in managing fatigue. Participants will receive increasing doses up to 3 grams per day over a period of only five weeks. There is some concern as to the rationale for evaluating carnitine for fatigue. Participants will be evaluated for carnitine deficiency; such patients will be eligible for the study. The study is being conducted by Beth Israel (click for specific information on the study).

DHEA study at Columbia University, Judith Rabkin, PI

HIV Metabolic Studies at Massachusetts General:

• HIV Metabolism Studies for Men
• HIV Metabolism Studies for Women

• The Care Study
• HNRCA: Human Nutrition Studies at Tuft's University
• The DIET Study. Dietary Intervention: Effects on Triglycerides and HIV. This is a research study using dietary intervention to treat elevated triglycerides in HIV+ adults. For more information, call 617-636-3659. Participants will receive a $500 stipend for compensation for their time and effort.

Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the National Institutes of Health. For information on these clinical studies, please call 1800-TRIALS-A (1800-874-2572). Discuss these studies with your physician:

• A5114s: A Substudy of A5090: HIV-Associated Cognitive Impairment and Oxidative Stress: An In Vivo Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Cerebral Injury, Open SDAC; at Harvard, Hopkins, UCLA, UCSD, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Seattle, U Penn, Columbia University; (A5090 is Phase II, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study of the Selegiline Transdermal System (STS) in the Treatment of HIV Associated Cognitive Impairment)


• A5129 A Pilot Study of Oral B Vitamin Therapy for Asymptomatic or Mildly Symptomatic Hyperlactatemia in Patients on NRTIs, Open SDAC, Case Western, BIMC, UNC. This study was closed; apparently it failed to enroll. FIAR is endeavoring to seek an understanding of what went wrong.


• A5145 A Pilot Trial of the Efficacy of a Combination of Antioxidants and B Vitamins in Preventing the Recurrence of Hyperlactatemia in Subjects Who Have Limited Antiretroviral Options, Open SDAC, Case West, U Colorado


• A5148 A Pilot Study of the Safety, Efficacy, and Tolerability of Extended-Release Niacin (Niaspan) for the Treatment of Elevated Non-HDL-Cholesterol and Elevated Triglycerides in HIV-Infected Subjects, Pending SDAC (not yet enrolling; sites not yet announced)


• A5157 An Open-Label Dose-Escalation Pilot Study of Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALC) for the Treatment of Dideoxynucleoside Associated Peripheral Neuropathy; Study In Development SDAC

Nomocharis forrestii

This list is obviously very short. Despite the fact that millions of people with HIV around the world rely on a wide range of botanicals to manage HIV, symptoms, infections and, increasingly for those who have access, the potentially fatal side effects of antiretroviral therapy. The U.S. government's so far dismal and grudging response to the enormous need for clinical data is one of the many reasons FIAR was formed. Yet, the growing list does show the increasing recognition of the need to undertake such studies. Activist involvement will be a major factor in assuring that the list grows to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases. And grows in such a way that it provides meaningful information that will help people the world over guide their treatment choices.

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