More about foscarnet, ganciclovir and cidovofir

In an article entitled "Clinical Potential of the Acyclic Nucleoside Phoshonates Cidofovir, Adefovir and Tenofovir in Treatment of DNA Virus and Retrovirus Infections" (Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2003) Erik De Clercq found that both cidofovir and adefovir dipivoxil work well for a wide range of viruses including HHV-6 and were superior to ganciclovir for viruses such as CMV.

Antiviral   activity spectrum of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonates

Virus

Cidofovir

Adefovirdipivoxil

Polyomavirus

Yes

Pappillomavirus

Yes

Adenovirus

Yes

HSV-1

Yes

Yes

HSV-2

Yes

Yes

VZV

Yes

Yes

CMV

Yes

Yes

EBV

Yes

Yes

HHV-6

Yes

Yes

HHV-7

Yes

Yes

HHV-8

Yes

Yes

Variola

Yes

Cowpox

Yes

Monkeypox

Yes

Camelpox

Yes

Vaccinia

Yes

MCV

Yes

Orf

Yes

Hepatitis B

Yes

Yes

HIV-1

Yes

HIV-2

Yes

SIV

Yes

FIV

Yes

*From De Clercq, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2003

Although adefovir (Hepsera), a cousin of cidofovir, showed efficacy in vitro and is available in an oral form for hepatitis B, the dose is considered too small to pass the blood brain barrier in sufficient quantities. Larger doses showed kidney toxicity.

In a study done at the University of Alabama, Long et al found that the selectivity index was higher for cidofovir than either ganciclovir   or foscarnet for HHV-6A. The following data was presented in their article entitled "Determination of antiviral efficacy against lymphotropic herpesviruses utilizing flow cytometry" in Antiviral Research (2003):

EC50 (µg/ml)

In HSB-2 cells

In Sup T1 cells

cidofovir

4.6 mcg/µl

2.0 mcg/µl

foscarnet

9.5 mcg/µl

6.3 mcg/µl

ganciclovir

10.6. mcg/µl

7.6 mcg/µl

See Experimental & Alternative Treatments
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Read more about foscarnet, ganciclovir and cidovofir

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