RECRUITING

Tesamorelin as an Adjunct to Exercise for Improving Physical Function in HIV

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

People with HIV experience earlier impairments in physical function compared to people in the general population. They also exhibit an earlier presentation and more rapid development of frailty, a multisystemic syndrome of aging characterized by reduced activity, fatigue, slowness, weakness, and weight loss. While exercise can improve physical function in people with HIV, it is less effective in doing so than in the general population and is difficult to sustain in the long-term. The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether the medication tesamorelin will improve physical function and muscle health in adults with HIV when combined with exercise. Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue that is FDA-approved to treat abdominal fat accumulation in people with HIV. While tesamorelin has also been shown to increase muscle mass and improve measures of muscle health, its effects on physical performance and muscle strength have not yet been evaluated. During a 24-week intervention phase, half of participants will be randomly assigned to receive tesamorelin and half of participants will be randomly assigned to receive placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug). All participants also will engage in a home-based exercise intervention supervised by an exercise coach. During a subsequent 24-week extension phase, individuals will be monitored off study drug and supervised exercise, and be encouraged to continue to exercise independently. The investigators will investigate effects of tesamorelin on physical function, muscle mass and quality, quality of life, and exercise adherence and self-efficacy. They also will evaluate whether effects of tesamorelin are maintained following treatment cessation. This study may identify an important strategy to improve how individuals aging with HIV function and feel with potential applications to other patient populations.

Official Title

Tesamorelin as an Adjunct to Exercise for Improving Physical Function in HIV

Quick Facts

Study Start:2025-07-07
Study Completion:2028-06-30
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06554717

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:50 Years to 80 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:No
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. 1. Men and women, 50-80 years old
  2. 2. Documented HIV infection on suppressive antiretroviral therapy for at least 1 year with HIV-1 RNA \<200 copies/mL and CD4+ T cell count \>200/µL 3
  3. 3. Sedentary lifestyle, defined as self-reported physical activity that breaks a sweat \<3 days/week with no regular resistance exercise in the past 3 months
  4. 4. ≥1 Fried frailty criterion (weakness, slow gait speed, exhaustion, decreased physical activity, or unintentional weight loss as defined by specific thresholds)
  5. 5. Waist circumference ≥102 cm in men and ≥88 cm in women
  6. 6. Normal mammogram within 2 years (females ≤74 years old) or prostate specific antigen \<4 ng/mL (males ≤70 years old) per U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) age-appropriate cancer screening guidelines
  7. 7. For females, postmenopausal defined as no menses for ≥12 months and anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) \<20 pg/mL or history of bilateral oophorectomy at least 3 months ago
  8. 8. Provider approval to participate
  1. 1. Use of tesamorelin or other growth hormone (GH)-based therapy within 6 months
  2. 2. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) z-score \>2.0
  3. 3. HbA1c \>8%
  4. 4. Active or suspected malignancy (with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer) within 24 months
  5. 5. Supraphysiologic testosterone or corticosteroid exposure, or change in exogenous testosterone or corticosteroid dose within 3 months
  6. 6. Change in glucose-lowering medication (e.g., glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) within 3 months
  7. 7. Active or unstable coronary artery disease, chest pain suspicious for angina, or serious arrythmia
  8. 8. History of hypopituitarism, head irradiation, or other conditions known to affect the GH/IGF-1 axis
  9. 9. Known hypersensitivity to tesamorelin or mannitol
  10. 10. Acute or chronic illness judged by the investigator to represent a contraindication to study participation

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Lindsay T. Fourman, MD
CONTACT
617-643-4590
lfourman@mgb.org
Kristine M. Erlandson, MD
CONTACT
303-724-4941
kristine.erlandson@cuanschutz.edu

Principal Investigator

Lindsay T. Fourman, MD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Massachusetts General Hospital
Kristine M. Erlandson, MD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Colorado, Denver

Study Locations (Sites)

University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus
Aurora, Colorado, 80045
United States
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

  • Lindsay T. Fourman, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Kristine M. Erlandson, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Colorado, Denver

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2025-07-07
Study Completion Date2028-06-30

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2025-07-07
Study Completion Date2028-06-30

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • HIV-1-infection
  • Frailty
  • Impaired Physical Function
  • Abdominal Obesity
  • Aging