Ganciclovir

Ganciclovir

Clinical data
Pronunciation	/ɡænˈsaɪkləvɪər/
Trade names	Cytovene; Cymevene; Vitrasert
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
MedlinePlus	a605011
Pregnancy category	AU: D US: C (Risk not ruled out)
Routes of administration	IV, oral, intravitreal
ATC code	J05AB06 (WHO) S01AD09 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	AU: S4 (Prescription only) UK: POM (Prescription only) US: ℞-only
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	5% (oral)
Metabolism	guanylate kinase (CMV UL97 gene product)
Biological half-life	2.5–5 hours
Excretion	Renal
Identifiers
IUPAC name 2-amino-9-{[(1,3-dihydroxypropan-2-yl)oxy]methyl}-6,9-dihydro-3H-purin-6-one
Synonyms	ganciclovir (INN, USAN, BAN); gancyclovir; DHPG; 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine
CAS Number	82410-32-0 Y
PubChem CID	3454
DrugBank	DB01004 Y
ChemSpider	3336 Y
UNII	P9G3CKZ4P5
KEGG	D00333 Y
ChEBI	CHEBI:465284 Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL182 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.155.403
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C9H13N5O4
Molar mass	255.23 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES O=C2/N=C(\Nc1n(cnc12)COC(CO)CO)N
InChI InChI=1S/C9H13N5O4/c10-9-12-7-6(8(17)13-9)11-3-14(7)4-18-5(1-15)2-16/h3,5,15-16H,1-2,4H2,(H3,10,12,13,17) Y Key:IRSCQMHQWWYFCW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y

Ganciclovir is an antiviral medication used to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. A prodrug form with improved oral bioavailability (valganciclovir) has also been developed.

Ganciclovir was approved for medical use in 1994.

Ganciclovir is indicated for:

It is also used for acute CMV colitis in HIV/AIDS and CMV pneumonitis in immunosuppressed patients.

Ganciclovir has also been used with some success in treating Human herpesvirus 6 infections.

Ganciclovir has also been found to be an effective treatment for herpes simplex virus epithelial keratitis.

Ganciclovir is commonly associated with a range of serious haematological adverse effects. Common adverse drug reactions (≥1% of patients) include: granulocytopenia, neutropenia, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, fever, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, anorexia, raised liver enzymes, headache, confusion, hallucination, seizures, pain and phlebitis at injection site (due to high pH), sweating, rash, itch, increased serum creatinine and blood urea concentrations.

Ganciclovir is considered a potential human carcinogen, teratogen, and mutagen. It is also considered likely to cause inhibition of spermatogenesis. Thus, it is used judiciously and handled as a cytotoxic drug in the clinical setting.