valganciclovir
Regulatory sources consulted
Approved indications
- Induction and maintenance of CMV retinitis in adults with AIDS and prevention of CMV disease in at-risk solid-organ transplant recipients.
Contraindications
Absolute
- Hypersensitivity to valganciclovir or ganciclovir.
- Breastfeeding.
Clinical warnings
- It may cause severe myelosuppression; do not start with neutrophils <500/µL, platelets <25,000/µL, or hemoglobin <8 g/dL and monitor blood counts. — CIMA/AEMPS, ficha técnica 79312
- It is potentially teratogenic, carcinogenic, and toxic to fertility; avoid exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding. — CIMA/AEMPS, ficha técnica 79312
- Do not substitute ganciclovir and valganciclovir on a milligram-for-milligram basis: their exposure differs and direct substitution can cause overdose. — CIMA/AEMPS, ficha técnica 79312
Drug interactions
- HighImipenem-cilastatin
Mechanism: Seizures have been reported with ganciclovir.
Recommendation: Do not combine unless benefit outweighs risk.
CIMA/AEMPS, ficha técnica 79312
- HighProbenecid, didanosine, and myelosuppressive or nephrotoxic drugs
Mechanism: They may increase exposure or hematologic and renal toxicity.
Recommendation: Monitor toxicity, blood counts, and renal function and adjust.
CIMA/AEMPS, ficha técnica 79312
Adverse events
Common (≥1%)
Diarrhea, fever, fatigue, nausea, neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia
Rare but serious
Marrow failure, agranulocytosis, renal failure, seizures, and anaphylaxis
Pregnancy and lactation
Do not use during pregnancy unless clinical need outweighs fetal risk. Effective contraception during and for 30 days afterward in women; barrier contraception during and for 90 days afterward in men. Discontinue breastfeeding.
Recent literature (PubMed)
Therapies for refractory cytomegalovirus infections (with or without resistance [R/R]) in transplant recipients are limited by toxicities. Maribavir has multimodal anti-cytomegalovirus activity through the inhibition of UL97 protein kinase. In this phase 3, open-label study, hematopoietic-cell and solid-organ transplant recipients with R/R cytomegalovirus were randomized 2:1 to maribavir 400 mg twice daily or investigator-assigned therapy (IAT; valganciclovir/ganciclovir, foscarnet, or cidofovir) for 8 weeks, with 12 weeks of follow-up. The primary endpoint was confirmed cytomegalovirus clearance at end of week 8. The key secondary endpoint was achievement of cytomegalovirus clearance and symptom control at end of week 8, maintained through week 16. 352 patients were randomized (235 maribavir; 117 IAT). Significantly more patients in the maribavir versus IAT group achieved the primary endpoint (55.7% vs 23.9%; adjusted difference [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 32.8% [22.80-42.74]; P < .001) and key secondary endpoint (18.7% vs 10.3%; adjusted difference [95% CI]: 9.5% [2.02-16.88]; P = .01). Rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were similar between groups (maribavir, 97.4%; IAT, 91.4%). Maribavir was associated with less acute kidney injury versus foscarnet (8.5% vs 21.3%) and neutropenia versus valganciclovir/ganciclovir (9.4% vs 33.9%). Fewer patients discontinued treatment due to TEAEs with maribavir (13.2%) than IAT (31.9%). One patient per group had fatal treatment-related TEAEs. Maribavir was superior to IAT for cytomegalovirus viremia clearance and viremia clearance plus symptom control maintained post-therapy in transplant recipients with R/R cytomegalovirus. Maribavir had fewer treatment discontinuations due to TEAEs than IAT. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02931539 (SOLSTICE).
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of viral infection in newborn babies, and affects 1 in 200 of all live born infants in high-income countries; and 1 in 71 in low- and middle-income countries. It is a major cause of hearing loss and brain damage. Women may get CMV infection for the first time during pregnancy (primary infection) or may experience 'non-primary' infection, either by reactivation of previous CMV infection or by a new infection with a different strain of the virus. The most common source of infection to pregnant women is the saliva and urine of young children. Therefore, all pregnant women, especially those in regular contact with young children, should be informed about hygiene-based measures to reduce the risks, e.g. handwashing. The UK National Screening Committee recommends against universal antenatal or newborn screening for CMV. Testing for CMV is usually offered only to women who develop symptoms of influenza, glandular fever or hepatitis (liver inflammation) during pregnancy, or for those whom a routine ultrasound scan detects fetal anomalies that suggests possible CMV infection. The risk of harm to the fetus is greatest following primary CMV infection of the woman in early pregnancy, and appears to be very low following infection after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Babies with CMV infection at birth may have jaundice, a rash, enlarged liver or spleen, a small brain, or be small for their gestational age. Around 1 in 8 babies born with CMV infection will have clinically detectable signs at birth. The rest will not have any features detectable by clinical examination alone. Therefore, all infants with CMV infection at birth should be followed up at a minimum of up to 2 years of age or later, depending upon the disease status, to check hearing and brain development. Following primary CMV infection in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, if the woman starts taking the antiviral medicine valaciclovir (valacyclovir) it reduces the risk of the baby
Little is known regarding anterior uveitis (AU), the most common ocular disease associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in immunocompetent populations. CMV AU is highly prevalent in Asia, with a higher incidence in men. Clinically, it manifests mainly as anterior chamber inflammation and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Acute CMV AU may resemble Posner-Schlossman syndrome with its recurrent hypertensive iritis, while chronic CMV AU may resemble Fuchs uveitis because of its elevated IOP. Without prompt treatment, it may progress to glaucoma; therefore, early diagnosis is critical to prognosis. Knowledge regarding clinical features and aqueous humor analyses can facilitate accurate diagnoses; so, we compared and summarized these aspects. Early antiviral treatment reduces the risk of a glaucoma surgery requirement, and therapeutic effects vary based on drug delivery. Both oral valganciclovir and topical ganciclovir can produce positive clinical outcomes, and higher concentration and frequency are beneficial in chronic CMV retinitis. An extended antiviral course could prevent relapses, but should be limited to 6 months to prevent drug resistance and side effects. In this review, we have systematically summarized the pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, and immunological mechanisms of CMV AU with the goal of providing a theoretical foundation for early clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most common infections occurring after solid organ transplantation. This high burden of disease, which incurs sizeable morbidity, may be worsening with the proportion of high-risk D+/R- solid organ transplantation recipients increasing in some regions globally. Cohort studies continue to support either universal prophylaxis or preemptive therapy as effective prevention strategies. Letermovir prophylaxis was noninferior to valganciclovir in adult high-risk D+/R- kidney transplant recipients with fewer drug-related adverse events in a recent clinical trial and has now been approved for such use in some regions. Maribavir preemptive therapy failed to demonstrate noninferiority when compared with valganciclovir in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients but looked promising for safety. Donor matching could be useful in prevention CMV disease with a survival advantage demonstrated in seronegative recipients waiting up to 30 mo for a seronegative kidney. Immune-guided prophylaxis resulted in fewer CMV infection episodes in lung transplant recipients when compared with fixed-duration prophylaxis in a recent clinical trial. For treatment of refractory or resistant CMV infection, maribavir was more efficacious and better tolerated when compared with investigator-initiated therapy in its registration trial for this condition. Further research regarding best treatment and prophylaxis of resistant or refractory CMV infection is needed to reflect best clinical practice choices. Optimal use of immune globulin or CMV-specific T cells for prevention or treatment of CMV disease remains undefined. Standardized definitions for the design of CMV clinical trials have been developed. In this review, we highlight recent updates in the field from data published since 2018.
Congenital human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common congenital infection, affecting around 1 in 200 infants in high-income settings. It can have life-long consequences for up to one in four children, including sensorineural hearing loss and neurodisability. Despite the frequency of congenital CMV and the severity for some children, it is a little-known condition by pregnant women, families and healthcare providers. Timely diagnosis of CMV infection in pregnancy is important to facilitate consideration of treatment with valaciclovir, which may reduce the risk of transmission to the fetus or reduce the severity of the outcomes for infected infants. Recognition of features of congenital CMV is important for neonatologists, paediatricians and audiologists to prompt testing for congenital CMV within the first 21 days of life. Early diagnosis gives the opportunity for valganciclovir treatment, where appropriate, to improve outcomes for affected infants. Further research is urgently needed to inform decisions about antenatal and neonatal screening, long-term outcomes for asymptomatic and symptomatic infants, predictors of these outcomes and optimal treatment for women and infants.