Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Valcyte

Valganciclovir hydrochloride (Valcyte®) is an antiviral medication used to treat cytomegalovirus infections. As the L-valyl ester of ganciclovir, it is actually a prodrug for ganciclovir. After oral administration, it is rapidly converted to ganciclovir by intestinal and hepatic esterases. more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
Hydrocodone
Vagifem
Valaciclovir
Valcyte
Valganciclovir
Valine
Valium
Valnoctamide
Valproate semisodium
Valproic acid
Valpromide
Valrelease
Valsartan
Valstar
Valtrex
Vancenase
Vanceril
Vancomycin
Vaniqa
Vanticon
Vecuronium bromide
Velcade
Velivet
Venlafaxine
Ventolin
Vepesid
Verapamil
Verelan
Vermox
Versed
Vfend
Viadur
Viagra
Vicoprofen
Vidarabine
Vidaza
Videx
Vigabatrin
Viloxazine
Vinblastine
Vincristine
Vinorelbine
Viomycin
Vioxx
Viracept
Viread
Visine
Vistide
Visudyne
Vitaped
Vitrase
Vivelle
Volmax
Voltaren
Voriconazole
Vosol
W
X
Y
Z

Administration

Orally, available in 450 mg pink tablets. Dosing is calculated to provide appropriate doses of ganciclovir; 900 mg of valganciclovir orally every 12 hours is equivalent to 5 mg per kilogram of body weight of intravenous ganciclovir, also every 12 hours.

Pharmacokinetics

  1. Oral bioavailability is approximately 60%. Fatty foods significantly increase the bioavailability and the peak level in the serum.
  2. It takes about 2 hours to reach maximum concentrations in the serum.
  3. Valganciclovir is eliminated as ganciclovir in the urine, with a half-life of about 4 hours in people with normal kidney function.

Side effects

  • Blood: neutropenia, anemia, low platelets. Myelosuppression is one of the main side effects that may limit prolonged use of valganciclovir.
  • Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain.
  • Central nervous system: fever, headache, insomnia, paresthesia, and peripheral neuropathy.
  • Ocular: retinal detachment

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Study Finds Once-Daily Valcyte Prevents Serious Viral Infection After Kidney Transplant
From Market Wire,

Research conducted in the Division of Transplantation at the University of Miami School of Medicine has found that at least three months of therapy with a single daily dose of the antiviral medication Valcyte (valganciclovir HCl tablets) safely and effectively prevents cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common infection in kidney transplant patients taking highly potent immunosuppressive therapy. The results were presented today at the American Transplant Congress in Boston.

"CMV disease is one of the most serious infections that can occur after a transplant because it can lead to loss of the transplanted organ and even death," said Gaetano Ciancio, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of surgery and urology, Division of Kidney, Kidney/Pancreas Transplant at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Transplant patients are often taking a number of medications, so giving them a more simplified therapy to prevent this dangerous condition is ideal."

CMV, which is present in a latent form in as many as 80 percent of the population, can activate and trigger a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions and opportunistic infections, such as pneumonia or hepatitis, in transplant patients with suppressed immune systems.

Valcyte is an oral prodrug, or improved formulation, of Cytovene (ganciclovir), which has been widely used to prevent CMV for the past 15 years. This study compared treatment with the two medications and found that both are equally effective at preventing CMV in transplant patients. The difference is that Valcyte requires a comparatively smaller once-daily dose, while patients must take a larger dose of Cytovene three times daily.

"Valcyte has superior bioavailability to Cytovene in the body, which ultimately translates into fewer daily doses for patients," said Dr. Ciancio. "These findings represent yet another step forward in the improvement of care and quality of life for transplant recipients."

In addition to opportunistic infections and GI conditions, CMV has been associated with acute and chronic rejection of transplanted organs, as well as atherosclerosis in heart transplant patients. Studies have shown that CMV may be correlated with an increased risk of death after a transplant.

The study evaluated 150 kidney transplant patients in a randomized, single-center, prospective trial. Patients were equally divided into three arms receiving different post-transplant immunosuppression regimens. Oral Cytovene 1,000 mg three times daily was used in 92 patients. The remaining 58 patients received a single daily oral dose of 900 mg of Valcyte. Patients were observed for the development of any CMV-like illness during follow-up.

Editor's Note: study investigator is available for interviews.

Contact: Jeanne Antol Krull 305-243-4853

Return to Valcyte
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay