Newborns infected with HSV can
be appropriately treated with acyclovir, a drug typically prescribed to adults
for the treatment of HSV infections.
The drug label for acyclovir
now includes information for healthcare providers on recommended usage and
dosage in newborns up to 3 months of age. The data that informed this label
change came from a Pediatric Trials Network (PTN) open-label study titled “Safety and Efficacy of
High-Dose Acyclovir in Infants with HSV or Suspected HSV (BPCA ACY02)” funded
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Eunice Kennedy
Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
“With this label change,
healthcare providers have clear guidance on how to use and prescribe this drug
for their youngest patients”, said Perdita Taylor-Zapata, M.D., program lead
for the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) at NICHD.
The study, published in
the Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Journal, examined the population
pharmacokinetics of acyclovir in infants and showed that postmenstrual age
(PMA) is associated with clearance and suggested dosing intervals as determined
by PMA in infants with relatively normal
renal function: 20 mg/kg every 12 hours in infants <30 weeks PMA, 20 mg/kg
every 8 hours in infants 30 to <36 weeks PMA, and 20 mg/kg every 6 hours in
infants 36–41 weeks PMA (Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2014 Jan;33(1):42-9)
Newborns and premature infants
are vulnerable to serious and potentially life-threatening complications from
herpes simplex (HSV) infection during pregnancy, labor and delivery or shortly
after birth if the mother develops genital herpes near the end of her
pregnancy. HSV infection in newborns can cause death or long-term
problems such as blindness and damage to the brain and other organs.
(Source: NIH, February 8,
2019; Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2014 Jan;33(1):42-9)
Dr KK
Aggarwal
Padma
Shri Awardee
President
Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)
Group
Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President
Heart Care Foundation of India
Past
National President IMA
