HIV cure hope: three old drugs aim to flush out and destroy hidden virus
NCT ID NCT07384624
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether a combination of three existing drugs (topiramate, lenalidomide, and pyrimethamine) can wake up dormant HIV hiding in the body and then help the immune system eliminate those infected cells. The goal is a 'functional cure' where the virus is controlled without lifelong medication, but participants will remain on antiretroviral therapy during the study. 30 adults with well-controlled HIV will participate across four medical centers in the Netherlands.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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18 years and older
- 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: * Documented HIV-1 infection, confirmed by 4th generation ELISA, Western Blot or PCR. * Age ≥ 18 years old. * Confirmed HIV1, subtype A, B, C or D. * Uninterrupted ART therapy for a minimum 6 months. . * Plasma HIV RNA \<≤50 copies/ml prior to inclusion at two consecutive measurements at least three months apart. * No disclosed missed ART on more than 2 days per month. * Current blood CD4+T-cell count of ≥200 cells/mm3 * No clinical signs of cellular immunodeficiency or AIDS. * Pre-ART plasma HIV RNA ≥1000 copies/mL. * Able to understand provided information and to give informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Prior exposure to any of the studied LRAs in the previous 90 days * HIV-2 (double)infection * Co-infection with hepatitis B, unless resolved HBV (anti-HBc positive, anti-HBs positive and HBsAg negative) OR HBsAg positive and on continuous HBV-active antiviral therapy for ≥24 weeks prior to dosing, and HBV DNA undetectable or ≤ 200 IU/mL on two measurements (screening and within 4 weeks prior to enrolment), and no history of advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis (stage F2 and higher) * Co-infection with hepatitis C, measured by the presence of hepatitis C virus RNA in blood. * Co-medication with clinically significant interactions with LRA * mRNA vaccine or adjuvant vaccine (e.g. Shingrix) in the previous 8 weeks. * Megaloblastic anaemia due to folate deficiency and untreated haemolysis of any cause * Active malignancy during the past year with the exception of basal carcinoma of the skin, stage 0 cervical carcinoma, Kaposi's sarcoma treated with ART alone or other indolent malignancies. * History of suicide attempt or suicidal ideation. * History of ophthalmological medical problems leading to glaucoma or visual field disturbances (e.g. macula oedema). Refraction abnormalities that can be corrected by lenses are acceptable. * History of any medical condition with a causal relationship with hyperammonemia. * History of epileptic seizures in the previous year. * Registered allergies for any of the investigational medical products * Sexually active participants who do not fit any of the following: a) Female subject of childbearing potential willing to comply with pregnancy tests before start and four weeks after end of treatment and willing to use of double contraceptive measures during and until 1 week after administration of study medication. Non-childbearing is defined by one of the following criteria: amenorrhoea for ≥ 1 year, premature ovarian failure, assigned male at birth, or having undergone bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, or hysterectomy. b) Sexually active male PLWH who have sex with female partners of childbearing potential and willing to abstain from sex or willing to use condom protection during and until 1 week after administration of study medication. c) Sexually active male PLWH who have sex with postmenopausal female partners and willing to abstain from sex or willing to use condom protection or with a postmenopausal female partner on pre-exposure prophylaxis during and until 1 week after administration of study medication. d) Male PLWH who have sex with male partners and willing to abstain from sex or willing to use a condom protection during and until 1 week after administration of study medication. e) Male PLWH who have sex with male partners on preexposure prophylaxis during and until 1 week after administration of study medication. * Any lab abnormalities at screening as listed below: 1. Moderate kidney impairment, defined as eGFR \<50 mL/min. In PLWH on dolutegravir- or bictegravir-based ART regimens, cystatin C-based eGFR can be used, since possible drug interference with tubular creatinine excretion which leads to eGFR underestimation. 2. Moderate hepatic impairment, defined as bilirubin \> 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) or ALT \> 3x ULN 3. Inadequate blood counts, defined as: haemoglobin \<6.5 mmol/L (males) or \<6.0 mmol/L (females), Absolute neutrophil count \<1000 cells/mm3, thrombocytes \<100 x109/L, international standardized ratio \>1.6, activated partial thromboplastin time \>40 seconds,
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Amsterdam University Medical Center
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Erasmus MC
Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Radboud University Medical Center
Nijmegen, Netherlands
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University Medical Center Utrecht
Utrecht, Netherlands
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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