Approaches to the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis: ganciclovir and foscarnet.

Both ganciclovir, a nucleoside analogue, and foscarnet, a pyrophosphate analogue, specifically bind cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA polymerase and inhibit CMV replication at plasma concentrations achievable with intravenous administration. The agents have similar plasma half-lives, and both are cleared solely by the kidneys. Foscarnet has a low solubility and a high degree of ionization at physiologic pH, requiring it to be administered in higher doses and larger volumes. Both drugs are administered as an initial induction regimen followed by a long-term maintenance regimen. Among patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) who have CMV retinitis, the efficacy of long-term maintenance therapy, as measured by median time to retinitis progression, appears to be similar for the two drugs. The major toxicity of ganciclovir is myelosuppression, with dose-limiting neutropenia occurring in approximately 16% and thrombocytopenia in 5% of AIDS patients. The major toxicity of foscarnet is nephrotoxicity, with dose-limiting toxicity occurring in approximately 10-23% of patients; other effects of foscarnet include hypocalcemia, which may be associated with seizure and arrhythmia. Studies in vitro indicate an additive or synergistic inhibitory effect on CMV when these two drugs are combined, suggesting that lower-dose combination regimens or higher-dose alternating regimens may result in greater efficacy with less toxicity than with either drug alone.