Therapeutic effects of nandrolone and testosterone in adult male HIV patients with AIDS wasting syndrome (AWS): A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to compare therapeutic effects of intramuscular (IM) nandrolone decanoate and IM testosterone enanthate in male HIV patients with AIDS wasting syndrome (AWS) with placebo control. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week trial, 104 patients with AWS who satisfied our inclusion criteria were randomly allotted in a 2:2:1 ratio to the 3 intervention groups: nandrolone, testosterone, and placebo. We administered 150 mg nandrolone and 250 mg testosterone (both IM, biweekly). The primary outcome measure was a comparison of absolute change in weight at 12 weeks between the nandrolone decanoate, testosterone, and placebo groups. Results: Intent-to-treat analysis was done. The nandrolone group recorded maximum mean increase in weight (3.20 kg; post hoc P <3 ng/mL) benefited immensely from nandrolone therapy, which increased their weight and BMI significantly compared to placebo (P