US Pharm. 2010;35(10):124.
The FDA is notifying health care professionals of updated dosing recommendations for Valcyte (valganciclovir) oral tablets and solution, used by children and adolescents receiving a kidney or heart transplant. The dosing changes, which now appear on Valcyte's label, are intended to prevent drug overdosing of children with low body weight, low body surface area, and very low serum creatinine.
Included in the revised recommendations is an upper limit on “calculated creatinine clearance,” a measurement of kidney function. Valcyte is an antiviral medication for preventing cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in children from 4 months to 16 years of age undergoing a kidney or heart transplant and who are at a higher risk for getting the disease. CMV is a virus that can cause severe disease such as pneumonia or colitis in people with weakened immune systems, including organ transplant patients.
