Evaluation of pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerance, and activity of combination of zalcitabine and zidovudine in stable, zidovudine-treated pediatric patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection

A double-blind phase II trial compared zalcitabine (0.03 mg/kg/day) in combination with zidovudine (720 mg/m²/day) and zidovudine monotherapy in 250 clinically stable, previously zidovudinetreated, human immunodeficiency virus-infected children. The combination was well-tolerated except for an increased incidence of neutropenia (14%) compared with that in children receiving monotherapy (5%). No differences were noted for time to first AIDS- defining illness or death, neuropsychologic status, or weight Z scores. In patients in the combination arm, the CD4 cell count decline was slower (13% per year) than in patients receiving monotherapy (25% per year) (P = .03), and quantitative peripheral blood mononuclear cell virus load remained lower at all time points (P = .08). Deaths were fewer in patients receiving combination therapy (4) compared with those in patients receiving monotherapy (10) (P = .083). Thus, administration of zidovudine with zalcitabine to children with prior zidovudine treatment did not result in a significant increase in toxicity compared with that resulting from zidovudine monotherapy and demonstrated improvement in immunologic and virologic surrogate markers.