induction phase, 5 mg per kilogram intravenously every 12 hours for 14-21 days, the intravenous dose given as a 1 hour infusion
maintenance phase, 5 mg per kg intravenously every day

Stable disease is treated with 1000 mg orally three times daily. Similar dosing is used to prevent disease in high-risk patients, such as those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or those with organ transplants.

Ganciclovir is also available in slow-release formulations for insertion into the vitreous of the eye, as treatment for CMV retinitis.

Mechanism of action

Ganciclovir is a synthetic analogue of 2'-deoxy-guanosine. It is first phosphorylated to a deoxyguanosine triphosphate (dGTP) analog. This competitively inhibits the incorporation of dGTP by viral DNA polymerase, resulting in the termination of elongation of viral DNA.

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption of the oral form is very limited - about 5% fasting, about 8% with food. It achieves a concentration in the central nervous system of about 50% of the plasma level. About 90% of plasma ganciclovir is eliminated unchanged in the urine, with a half-life of 2-6 hrs, dependending on renal function (elimination takes over 24 hours in end-stage renal disease).

Side effects

Possible side effects include:

Headache
Rash
Neutropenia
Anemia
Low platelets
Kidney failure
Confusion
Seizures

Read more at Wikipedia.org

• [List your site here Free!]

New approvals
From Optometric Management, 6/1/01

Aspheric Contact Lens with Direct Delivery

* CooperVision introduced its new planned replacement aspheric lens, Ascend, for spherical lens wearers and those with low amounts of astigmatism. The lens will be available only to practitioners and will be directly delivered to patients. By offering the lens only to practitioners, CooperVision hopes to eliminate the potential for gray market diversion. The lens is made of methafilcon A, which is 55% water and has a monthly replacement schedule.

Drug for CMV Retinitis

* Valganciclovir (Valcyte), an oral drug indicated for treating cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in AIDS patients, was recently approved. The drug's manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche, expects Valcyte to replace the most widely prescribed anti-CMV medication, ganciclovir (Cytovene), which is also manufactured by Roche but is an intravenous drug. Valcyte offers comparable efficacy to Cytovene but with a much more convenient dosing regimen, reports HoffmanLa Roche.

Lens for Astigmatic Presbyopes

* Blanchard Contact Lens, Inc., recently received FDA market clearance and launched its new ESSential Soft Toric Multifocal lens. The lens has already demonstrated benefits for astigmatic presbyopes, according to the manufacturer.

The lens is manufactured in hioxifilcon B. It features base curves of 8.8 mm, 8.4 mm and 8.2 mm with diameters of 14.8 mm, 14.5 mm and 14.0 mm, respectively. Cylinder correction ranges from -0.75D to -3.OOD, spherical correction from -8.SOD to +6.50D and add corrections up to +2.75D.

Laser Approved for Trabeculoplasties

* Coherent recently received approval from the FDA to market its Selecta 7000 Glaucoma Laser System. Designed to perform selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), the laser uses a patented new technique for treating open-angle glaucoma. According to the company, SLT is less traumatic to the eye than the current laser procedure used to treat glaucoma - argon laser trabeculoplasty.

Return to Cytovene

Home

Contact

Resources

Exchange Links

ebay