CONCURRENT USE OF GANCICLOVIR AND FOSCARNET TO TREAT CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN AIDS PATIENTS

Ten patients with AIDS and progressive cytomegalovirus disease were tr eated with ganciclovir and foscarnet concurrently. The patients had re ceived ganciclovir and foscarnet monotherapy a median of 330 days befo re receiving combination therapy for a median of 80 days. Nine of the 10 patients responded to the combination. No electrolyte abnormalities were noted during combination therapy, but rates of neutropenia (rela tive rate, combination vs. ganciclovir, 1.99; P = .229) and thrombocyt openia (relative rate, combination vs. ganciclovir, 1.53; P = .616) we re higher with combination therapy than with either drug alone. The re lative rate of anemia was significantly increased with combination the rapy compared with monotherapy (relative rate, combination vs. gancicl ovir, 2.69; P = .025). These data suggest that combination ganciclovir and foscarnet therapy after failure of either alone appears to be as effective as standard therapy with single agents. The rate of anemia w ith combination therapy was significantly greater than either agent al one, but no significant difference was noted among the other parameter s of toxicity studied.