Alcohol Pharmacotherapy for HIV+ Prisoners (INSPIRE)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01077310 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : March 1, 2010
Results First Posted : November 25, 2016
Last Update Posted : May 30, 2017
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Alcohol Dependence Problem Drinking Hazardous Drinking Human Immunodeficiency Virus AIDS | Drug: Vivitrol- Intramuscular naltrexone (depot-formulation) Drug: Placebo | Not Applicable |
INSPIRE is a randomized controlled trial of injectable intramuscular NTX (XR-NTX) versus intramuscular placebo among Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) infected prisoners meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence or problem drinking, who are transitioning to the community and seeking treatment to prevent relapse to alcohol use. While the COMBINE trial has demonstrated the effectiveness of oral naltrexone in a group of active alcohol dependent persons in decreasing relapse to alcohol use over placebo, naltrexone has not been studied in people who have a history of current alcohol dependence prior to incarceration, are incarcerated and not actively using alcohol and are likely to return to alcohol use when released. In this study, we conduct a placebo-controlled trial to determine if naltrexone has an effect in this group, which could be important in making the case for having naltrexone available to alcohol dependent or problem drinking HIV+ prisoners prior to release. We will compare their HIV treatment (HIV-1 RNA levels, CD4 count), alcohol treatment (time to relapse to heavy drinking, percent of days drinking, percent of days abstinent and alcohol craving) and HIV risk behavior (sexual and drug-related risks) outcomes. The hypotheses include:
i. XR-NTX will result in improved HIV clinical outcomes, including changes in HIV-1 RNA levels, and higher CD4 counts.
ii. XR-NTX will result in improved alcohol treatment outcomes, including longer time to alcohol relapse, lower percent days drinking, and lower craving for alcohol.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 100 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Alcohol Pharmacotherapy for HIV+ Prisoners With Alcohol Dependence and Problem Drinking |
Study Start Date : | August 2010 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | August 2015 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | August 2015 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Intramuscular naltrexone
Subjects in this arm will receive monthly intramuscular gluteal injections of depot naltrexone 380mg (VIVITROL) for 6 months. The 1st injection will be administered prior to release from prison or jail.
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Drug: Vivitrol- Intramuscular naltrexone (depot-formulation)
Subjects in this arm will receive monthly intramuscular gluteal injections of depot naltrexone 380mg (VIVITROL) for 6 months. The 1st injection will be administered prior to release from prison or jail.
Other Names:
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Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Subjects in this arm will receive monthly intramuscular gluteal injections of placebo for 6 months. The 1st injection will be administered prior to release from prison or jail.
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Drug: Placebo
Subjects in this arm will receive monthly intramuscular gluteal injections of placebo for 6 months. The 1st injection will be administered prior to release from prison or jail. Placebo will be provided by Alkermes pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of VIVITROL. Placebo will be identical in shape and form to active drug.
Other Name: Saline |
- Percentage of Those Maintain or Improve to HIV RNA-1 Viral Load Less Then 400 Copies/mL [ Time Frame: Baseline to month 6 post release ]Percentage of participants that maintained or improved a level of undetectable HIV viral load from baseline (closest viral load to time of release from incarceration) to 6 months post release. Missing lab values were considered to have a detectable HIV viral load.
- Alcohol Treatment Outcome: Time to Alcohol Relapse [ Time Frame: Post release ]Self reported time to first heavy drinking day after release from incarceration, up to 6 months
- Alcohol Treatment Outcome: Change in Average Drinks Per Drinking Day [ Time Frame: 12 weeks prior to release from prison (baseline) to 6 months post release ]The mean change from 12 weeks pre incarceration to 6 months post release from incarceration in average drinks per drinking day
- Alcohol Treatment Outcome: Change in Percent of Heavy Drinking Days [ Time Frame: change in percent of heavy drinking days12 weeks prior to release from prison (baseline), day of release, to 6 months post-release ]change in the percent of heavy drinking days from 12 weeks prior to incarceration to 6 months post release from incarceration.
- Mean Change in CD4 Cell Count (Cells/mL) [ Time Frame: Baseline and every 3 months for 1 year ]Baseline labs will be drawn while subjects is in prison, one to three months prior to release. Additionally, blood will be drawn every 3 months for 1 year to monitor changes in CD4 cell count.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- HIV+
- Inmates returning to New Haven or Hartford
- Meets criteria for alcohol dependence (using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV) or problem drinking (using Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-AUDIT)
- Gives informed consent
- English or Spanish speaker
- > 18 yrs
Exclusion Criteria:
- On opiate pain medication or expressing need for them
- Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 5x the upper limit of normal
- Evidence of Child's Pugh Class C cirrhosis
- Pending felony charges
- Pregnant or unwilling to take contraceptive measures
- Subject is part of another pharmacological research study

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01077310
United States, Connecticut | |
Yale Clinical Research | |
New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06511 |
Principal Investigator: | Sandra A Springer, MD | Yale University | |
Principal Investigator: | Frederick L Altice, MD | Yale University |
Other Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Yale University |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01077310 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
0908005572 1R01AA018944 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | March 1, 2010 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | November 25, 2016 |
Last Update Posted: | May 30, 2017 |
Last Verified: | April 2017 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
HIV Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Alcohol dependence |
CD4 HIV-1 RNA Alcohol treatment outcomes |
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HIV Infections Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes Alcoholism Immune System Diseases Lentivirus Infections Retroviridae Infections RNA Virus Infections Virus Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Sexually Transmitted Diseases |
Slow Virus Diseases Alcohol-Related Disorders Substance-Related Disorders Chemically-Induced Disorders Mental Disorders Naltrexone Alcohol Deterrents Narcotic Antagonists Physiological Effects of Drugs Sensory System Agents Peripheral Nervous System Agents |