Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: INCIVEK versus ZIRGAN.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: INCIVEK versus ZIRGAN.
INCIVEK vs ZIRGAN
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Inhibitor of the HCV NS3/4A serine protease, preventing cleavage of the HCV polyprotein, thereby inhibiting viral replication.
Ganciclovir is a synthetic guanine derivative that inhibits cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication by competitively inhibiting viral DNA polymerase (UL54) and by incorporating into viral DNA, causing chain termination. Ganciclovir is phosphorylated to ganciclovir triphosphate by viral thymidine kinase (UL97) in CMV-infected cells.
Incivek (telaprevir) is administered orally at a dose of 750 mg (two 375 mg tablets) three times daily (every 7-9 hours) with food (not low-fat).
Instill 1 drop (approximately 0.05 mL) into affected eye(s) 5 times daily (approximately every 3 hours while awake) until corneal ulcer heals, then reduce to 1 drop 3 times daily for 7 days.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life ranges from 4 to 13 hours (mean ~7 hours) in healthy volunteers; prolonged to 10-20 hours in HCV-infected patients.
Terminal elimination half-life in patients with normal renal function is approximately 3-4 hours; in renal impairment, half-life may be prolonged up to 30 hours, requiring dose adjustment.
Approximately 91% of the radiolabeled dose is recovered in feces (79% as unchanged drug) and 9% in urine (1% as unchanged drug).
Primarily renal excretion as unchanged drug via glomerular filtration and tubular secretion; >90% of a systemically absorbed dose is recovered unchanged in urine.
Category C
Category C
Antiviral
Antiviral