Idoxuridine is an anti-herpesvirus antiviral drug.
It is a nucleoside analogue, a modified form of deoxyuridine, similar enough to be incorporated into viral DNA replication, but the iodine atom added to the uracil component blocks . It is used only topically due to cardiotoxicity. It was synthesized by William Prusoff in the late 1950s.
Clinical use
Idoxuridine is mainly used topically to treat
herpes simplex keratitis.
[Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. Edited by Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, Taylor P. McGraw-Hill. 8th ed. 1990.] Epithelial lesions, especially initial attacks presenting with a dendritic ulcer, are most responsive to therapy, while infection with stromal involvement are less responsive.
Idoxuridine is ineffective against herpes simplex virus type 2 and
varicella-zoster.
Side effects
Common side effects of the eye drops include irritation, blurred vision and
photophobia.
[Drugs.com: Idoxuridine ophthalmic] clouding and damage of the corneal epithelium may also occur.
Formulations and dosage
Idoxuridine is available as either a 0.5% ophthalmic
ointment or as a 0.1% ophthalmic solution.
The dosage of the ointment is every 4 hours during day and once before bedtime.
The dosage of the solution is 1 drop in the
conjunctiva hourly during the day and every 2 hours during the night until definitive improvement, then 1 drop every 2 hours during the day and every 4 hours during the night.
Therapy is continued for 3–4 days after healing is complete, as demonstrated by
fluorescein staining.
Synthesis
See also
Further reading
