Could a pneumonia drug boost leukemia treatment? small trial explores safety and dosing
NCT ID NCT03568994
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase trial tested whether adding atovaquone (a drug usually used to prevent pneumonia) to standard chemotherapy is safe and reaches effective levels in the blood. It involved 26 children and young adults (ages 1 month to 21 years) newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The main goals were to measure how often doses were skipped due to side effects and to track drug levels in the blood. This study was not designed to test if the combination works better, only to gather safety and dosing information.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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26 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2018
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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1 month to 20 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age: Children ≥1 month and children and young adults \< 21 years of age 2. Diagnosis: Patients must be newly diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia 2.1 Patients with previously untreated primary AML who meet the customary criteria for AML with ≥ 20% bone marrow blasts as set out in the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) Myeloid Neoplasm Classification are eligible. Attempts to obtain bone marrow either by aspirate or biopsy must be made unless clinically prohibitive. In cases where it is clinically prohibitive, peripheral blood with an excess of 20% blasts and in which adequate flow cytometric and cytogenetics/Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) testing is feasible can be substituted for the marrow exam at diagnosis 2.2 Patients with \< 20% bone marrow or peripheral blood blasts are eligible if they have: * A karyotypic abnormality characteristic of de novo AML (t(8;21)(q22;q22), inv(16)(p13q22) or t(16;16)(p13;q22) or 11q23 abnormalities, * The unequivocal presence of megakaryoblasts, or * Biopsy proven isolated myeloid sarcoma (myeloblastoma; chloroma, including leukemia cutis). 3. Pre-existing myelodysplastic syndrome: Patients with a history of myelodysplastic syndrome that has progressed to AML which meets the criteria above are eligible. 4. Therapy-related or secondary AML Patients with AML which is thought to be therapy related but meet the criteria above are eligible. 5. Prior Therapy: Prior therapy with hydroxyurea, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), corticosteroids (any route), and IT cytarabine given at diagnosis is allowed. Hydroxyurea and ATRA cannot be given concurrently with protocol therapy. There is no specific amount of time mandated between the last dose of hydroxyurea or ATRA and the start of protocol therapy. With the exception of infants who had previously received low dose cytarabine to control disease, patients who have previously received any other antileukemic therapy (i.e. chemotherapy or radiation therapy) are not eligible for this protocol. 6. Organ Function Requirement: Adequate Liver Function Defined as: * Direct Bilirubin ≤2x upper limit of normal (ULN) for age and institution (unless related to leukemic involvement), and * serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) (ALT) ≤2.5x ULN for age and institution (unless it is related to leukemic involvement) 7. Ability to receive enteral medication: Eligible patients should have no contraindication to enteral administration of medication (e.g. oral, Nasogastric (NG), G-tube, etc) as determined by the evaluating physician. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Excluded Constitutional Conditions Patients with a history of any of the following constitutional conditions are not eligible: * Fanconi anemia * Shwachman syndrome * Any other known constitutional bone marrow failure syndrome * Patients with constitutional trisomy 21 or with constitutional mosaicism of trisomy 21 who are eligible to receive treatment for Down Syndrome (DS) related AML Note: Enrollment and initiation of therapy may occur pending results of clinically indicated studies to exclude these conditions. If a patient is found to have any of these conditions they should be removed from the study once results are received. Patients who are removed due to ineligibility after results are received will be replaced. 2. Other Excluded Conditions Patients with any of the following oncologic diagnoses are not eligible: * Any concurrent malignancy * Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) * Philadelphia chromosome positive AML * Biphenotypic or bilineal acute leukemia * Acute promyelocytic leukemia Note: Enrollment and initiation of therapy may occur pending results of clinically indicated studies to exclude these conditions. If a patient is found to have any of these conditions they should be removed from the study once results are received. Patients who are removed due to ineligibility after results are received will be replaced. 3. Prior receipt of anthracyclines Patients with treatment-related AML who have received more than 250mg/m2 of anthracyclines (in daunorubicin equivalents) are not eligible. 4. Known Allergy or Intolerance to Atovaquone Patients with a known allergy or intolerance to atovaquone are not eligible. 5. Enrollment on another ongoing treatment study Patients who are enrolled on a treatment study are not eligible 6. Pregnancy or Breast-Feeding 6.1 Female patients who are pregnant are ineligible since fetal toxicities and teratogenic effects have been noted for several of the study drugs. 6.2 Lactating females are not eligible unless they have agreed not to breastfeed their infants. 6.3 Female patients of childbearing potential are not eligible unless a negative pregnancy test result has been obtained. 7. Informed Consent: All patients and/or their parents or legally authorized representatives must sign a written informed consent. Assent, when appropriate, will be obtained according to institutional guidelines.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Baylor College of Medicine - Texas Childrens Hospital
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
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Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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