A Controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy of Aerosolized Pentamidine and Parenteral/Oral Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim in the Treatment of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in AIDS

To compare the safety and effectiveness of drug therapy with aerosolized pentamidine (PEN) with that of conventional therapy, sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim (SMX/TMP) in the treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in patients who have AIDS, are HIV positive, or are at high risk for HIV infection. New treatments are needed for PCP, a common lung infection in patients with AIDS, because many patients treated with the two standard treatments, PEN given by injections and SMX/TMP, have had adverse effects that required a change in treatment. There is also a high relapse rate after the standard treatments. Preliminary experiments in humans suggest that aerosolized PEN is as effective as the standard treatments for PCP, and causes few adverse effects. New treatments are needed for PCP, a common lung infection in patients with AIDS, because many patients treated with the two standard treatments, PEN given by injections and SMX/TMP, have had adverse effects that required a change in treatment. There is also a high relapse rate after the standard treatments. Preliminary experiments in humans suggest that aerosolized PEN is as effective as the standard treatments for PCP, and causes few adverse effects. Patients entered in the study are randomly assigned to aerosolized PEN or to intravenous SMX/TMP, for a 21-day trial. SMX/TMP is given 4 times a day and aerosolized PEN once a day. Doses are determined by body size. Patients who receive aerosolized PEN also receive a placebo intravenous injection and patients who receive SMX/TMP also receive a placebo aerosol. Patients are hospitalized at least 5 days. Patients who improve may be discharged after 5 days at the discretion of the attending physician. Discharged patients continue the study with oral SMX/TMP and aerosolized placebo or aerosolized PEN and oral placebo. Patients who fail to respond or who develop severe adverse effects are switched to intravenous PEN or other standard therapy. During the 21-day trial, zidovudine (AZT) may not be used. AZT may be resumed after therapy for the acute PCP episode is completed.