2',3'-Dideoxyinosine in patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex

Twenty-one patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) received 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (didanosine; ddI) intravenously and then orally (initial dosages of 0.4 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg every 12 hours, respectively) for 6-44 weeks in an escalating-dose study. The major dose-limiting effects were peripheral neuropathy (three patients) and pancreatitis (two patients), which were observed at dosages greater than or equal to 20 mg/(kg.d). Hyperuricemia occurred at greater than or equal to 30 mg/(kg.d). No hematologic toxicity developed except for possible sporadic thrombocytopenia (two patients). Significant decreases in serum levels of p24 antigen and increases in CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes were noted at 2, 6, and 10-20 weeks and over a wide range of dosages, including the lowest given. Most patients had an increased feeling of well-being and/or a weight gain of greater than or equal to 2 kg at 6 weeks. For this population, ddI has promise as a therapeutic agent, thus warranting further study of this agent in controlled clinical trials.