Letermovir Treatment of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection Antiinfective Agent

Overview

Journal Drugs Future

Publisher Thomson Reuters

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2013 Oct 29

PMID 24163496

Citations 16

Authors

Priya S Verghese

Mark R Schleiss

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Novel therapies are urgently needed for the management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in high-risk patients. Currently licensed agents target the viral DNA polymerase, and although they are effective, they are fraught with toxicities to patients. Moreover, emergence of antiviral resistance is an increasing problem, particularly for patients on long-term suppressive therapy. A new agent, letermovir (AIC246), shows great promise for the management of CMV infection. Advantages include its good oral bioavailability, its lack of toxicity, and the apparent absence of drug-drug interactions. Letermovir has a novel mechanism of action, exerting its antiviral effect by interfering with the viral pUL56 gene product and in the process disrupting the viral terminase complex. This agent demonstrates substantial promise as an alternative to more toxic antivirals in patients at high risk for CMV disease, particularly in the transplantation setting.

Citing Articles

Letermovir Effectively Prevents Cytomegalovirus Infection in Patients with Aplastic Anemia After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Real-World Retrospective Cohort Study.

Zhang Y, Chen X, Zhou M, Zhang Y, Chen C, Zhou R Infect Dis Ther. 2024; 13(2):345-359.

PMID: 38265628 PMC: 10904706. DOI: 10.1007/s40121-024-00917-2.

Patterns of CMV infection after letermovir withdrawal in recipients of posttransplant cyclophosphamide-based transplant.

Lin A, Brown S, Chinapen S, Lee Y, Seo S, Ponce D Blood Adv. 2023; 7(23):7153-7160.

PMID: 37906513 PMC: 10698256. DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023010966.

Letermovir for Cytomegalovirus Prevention in Adolescent Patients Following Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Daukshus N, Cirincione A, Siver M, Mathew S, Kunvarjee B, Chan A J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2022; 11(7):337-340.

PMID: 35472147 PMC: 9989834. DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piac017.

Impact of Letermovir Primary Cytomegalovirus Prophylaxis on 1-Year Mortality After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Su Y, Stern A, Karantoni E, Nawar T, Han G, Zavras P Clin Infect Dis. 2022; 75(5):795-804.

PMID: 34979021 PMC: 9477449. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab1064.

A bifunctional iminophosphorane squaramide catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of hydroquinazolines intramolecular aza-Michael reaction to α,β-unsaturated esters.

Su G, Thomson C, Yamazaki K, Rozsar D, Christensen K, Hamlin T Chem Sci. 2021; 12(17):6064-6072.

PMID: 33996002 PMC: 8098679. DOI: 10.1039/d1sc00856k.

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