Open-label efficacy and safety trial of 42 days of 566C80 for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in AIDS patients.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia continues to be a cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients. Current therapies have a high rate of toxicity and failure. Compound 566C80 is a 1-4,hydroxynaphthoquinone with potent antiprotozoal activity which shows good efficacy and safety in 21-day treatment trials of P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) in AIDS patients. Because there is a generally high recurrence rate after treatment of PCP and there may be a possible advantage in decreasing the P. carinii burden in the lung with extended anti-Pneumocystis therapy, we performed an open label-trial of the safety and efficacy of 42-day therapy with 566C80 for PCP in AIDS patients. Ten patients were enrolled and one was lost to follow-up. Eight of the remaining nine patients successfully completed 42 days of therapy with minimal toxicity. This trial suggests that 566C80 for 42 days can be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated oral therapy for PCP in AIDS patients.