• Treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with AIDS:
    • Induction: PO 900mg BD *14-21 days
    • Maintenance: PO 900mg OD
  • CMV prevention in solid organ transplant:
    • Heart transplant:
      • Adults: PO 900mg OD until 100 days post-transplant
      • 1 month-16 years: Daily dose (mg) = 7 x BSA x CrCl. Max 900mg/day
    • Kidney transplant:
      • Adults: PO 900mg OD until 200 days post-transplant
      • 4 months-16 years: Daily dose (mg) = 7 x BSA x CrCl. Max 900mg/day
    • Kidney-pancrease transplant:
      • PO 900mg OD until 100 days post-transplant

Tablet: 450mg

To be taken with food

Antiviral

Prodrug, converted to ganciclovir in intestine and liver. It inhibits viral DNA polymerases resulting in chain termination

  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Tremor
  • Neutropenia
  • Anemia
  • Headache
  • Vomiting
  • Insomnia
  • UTI
  • Elevated Cr
  • Abdominal pain
  • Hematuria
  • URI symptoms
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Paresthesia
  • Thrombocytopenia
  • Confusion
  • Agitation
  • Dyspepsia
  • Constipation
  • Anorexia
  • Increased ALT/AST
  • Hypersensitivity to class/components
  • Hypersensitivity to ganciclovir
  • ANC <500
  • Hb <8
  • Plt <25,000
  • CrCl <10 (patients not on HD)

WARNING

  • Severe leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, pancytopenia and bone marrow failure, including aplastic anemia reported
  • May cause temporary or permanent spermatogenesis inhibition in males and fertility suppression in females based on animal data and limited human data.
  • Potential to cause birth defects based on animal data.
  • Potential to cause cancers based on animal data
  • Cidofovir

                          Drug Status

Availability Prescription only
Pregnancy Category C
Breastfeeding Not recommended
Schedule Not controlled
BRAND NAME STRENGTH FORMULATION PACK SIZE MANUFACTURER DISTRIBUTOR
Vagacyte 450mg Tablet 10’s Panacea Biotec Europa Healthcare
Valgan 450mg Tablet 4’s Cipla Ltd Surgipharm Ltd