Ganciclovir: profile and news

Avaian flu threat to stimulate antiviral market growth Nov 11, 2005
Roche first gained access to this market when it acquired Syntex and concomitantly the company’s CMV antiviral Cytovene (ganciclovir) in 1994. ... - Pharmaceutical Business Review

Can Ayurveda cure HIV/AIDS? Nov 17, 2005
He said the costs of the three therapies for 28 days - IV Ganciclovir, Valganciclovir and IV Foscarnet – amounted to Rs 56,000, Rs 84,000 and Rs 1,60,000 ... - Newindpress,

AIDS VIRUS THREATENS EPIDEMIC OF BLINDNESS Oct 5, 2005
...like kidney failure. Recently, a new procedure called Intravitreal ganciclovir treatment has been developed for CMV. Gancyclovir in ... - Star of Mysore,

pSivida buys US drug delivery firm for €87m Oct 4, 2005
In partnership with B&L, CDS sells an implantable drug called Vitrasert (ganciclovir) for cytomegalovirus retinitis, an opportunistic viral infection that ... - in-PharmaTechnologist,

Cryptococcal meningitis: treatment needs to be cheaper, more ... Sep 23, 2005
...infections, such as fluconazole (for candidiasis and cryptococcal meningitis), amphotericin B (for cryptococcal meningitis) and ganciclovir (CMV disease), by ... - Aidsmap,

Anticonvulsant May Help Keep Lid on HIV Aug 11, 2005
...associated with infection by human herpes virus 8 – it has been shown that the combination of Depakene and the anti-herpes drug ganciclovir causes infected ... - MedPage Today,

Roche Marks 100th US Anniversary Jul 25, 2005
...alfa-2a (Pegasys®). -- Synthesis of anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) compounds ganciclovir sodium and valganciclovir. -- Development of ... - Inside INdiana Business (press release) <**results**>

Antivirals Reduce Risk of CMV Infection in Transplants Jun 21, 2005
In a meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials, Australian researchers found that ganciclovir, Valtrex (valacyclovir), and Zovirax (acyclovir) lowered ... - MedPage Today,

Cidofovir Modulated Gene Expression in Recurrent Respiratory ... May 28, 2005
...only once a week or every other week), which clearly distinguishes cidofovir from other antiviral drugs (acyclovir, penciclovir, and ganciclovir), which have ... - Medical News Today,

India's Cheap Medicines Mar 29, 2005
And five cancer drugs such as Gefitinib, Temozolomide, Zoledronic acid, Letrozole and Ganciclovir are set to see a multi-fold increase in prices, as a result ... - AllAfrica.com,

Tuberculosis, Nontuberculous Lung Infection, Pleural Disorders ... Mar 7, 2005
CMV pneumonia was confirmed histopathologically and treated with ganciclovir, and was often preceded by a rejection episode within 3 months. ... - AJRCCM (subscription),

Heart Transplant in a Young Man With Schizophrenia Mar 1, 2005
Southworth MR, Dunlap SH: Psychotic symptoms and confusion associated with intravenous ganciclovir in a heart transplant recipient. ... - Am J Psychiatry (subscription)

Other information

Indication
For the treatment of CMV retinitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Pharmacology
Ganciclovir is a synthetic purine nucleoside analogue with in vitro and in vivo inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1), Ganciclovir is highly selective due to its affinity for the enzyme thymidine kinase (TK) encoded by HSV and VZV. This viral enzyme converts Ganciclovir into Ganciclovir monophosphate, a nucleotide analogue. The monophosphate is further converted into diphosphate by cellular guanylate kinase and into triphosphate by a number of cellular enzymes. in vitro, Ganciclovir triphosphate stops replication of herpes viral DNA. When used as a substrate for viral DNA polymerase, Ganciclovir triphosphate competitively inhibits dATP leading to the formation of 'faulty' DNA. This is where Ganciclovir triphosphate is incorporated into the DNA strand replacing many of the adenosine bases. This results in the prevention of DNA synthesis, as phosphodiester bridges can longer to be built, destabilizing the strand.

Mechanism Of Action
Ganciclovir stops replication of herpes viral DNA in 3 ways: 1) competitive inhibition of viral DNA polymerase, 2) incorporation into and termination of the growing viral DNA chain, and 3) inactivation of the viral DNA polymerase. Ganciclovir targets HSV and VSV thymidine kinase

Drug Category
Antivirals; Nucleosides and Nucleotides (08:18.32); ATC:J05AB06; ATC:J05AB14;

Brand Names/Synonyms
Cytovene; Cytovene Iv; Cytovene-Iv; GA2; GCV & MSL; Ganciclovir; Ganciclovir Sodium; Gancyclovir; Hydroxyacyclovir; Valcyte; Vitrasert

Dosage Forms
CAPSULE; IMPOLANT; POWDER FOR SOLUTION

Absorption
Poorly absorbed orally, bioavailability is 6% to 9%

Interactions
Interactions for Ganciclovir:

No drug interactions have been observed with the Vitrasert Implant. There is limited experience with use of retinal tamponades in conjunction with the Vitrasert Implant.

Chemical IUPAC Name
2-[(2-amino-6-hydroxy-purin-9-yl)methoxy]propane-1,3-diol

Chemical Formula
C9H13N5O4

Half Life
2.5 to 3.6 hours

Drug Type
Approved Drug

# Accession No
APRD00263

CAS Registry Number
82410-32-0