Efficacy of Caspofungin for Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia in People Living With HIV/AIDS.

What this Trial Is About

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a serious infection affecting people living with HIV/AIDS and can be severe or even fatal. The standard treatment has been trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for over thirty years, but safety concerns exist with alternative second-line drugs. Research has focused on the beta-D glucan in Pneumocystis jirovecii, leading to interest in echinocandins like caspofungin, which have shown promise in animal studies and some positive human observations. This observational study compares the use of caspofungin with the standard treatment of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for PCP in people living with HIV. One group receives the standard drug, while the other receives caspofungin alone or with clindamycin or primaquine, including patients who switch to caspofungin early in treatment. The study aims to assess caspofungin's safety and effectiveness as an alternative with a better safety profile. Participants will be monitored up to 90 days to evaluate outcomes such as mortality at 30 and 90 days, length of hospital stay, need for advanced respiratory support, incidence of respiratory distress, and any adverse events. Clinical and laboratory studies will be done at admission, and data will be collected to compare the treatments. The study is sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias and runs until September 2025.

Caspofungin for Pneumocystis Pneumonia in PLWHIV.