Vidarabine resources

DRUG INFO
Vidarabine

Drug Name: Vidarabine


Indication: For treatment of chickenpox - varicella, herpes zoster and herpes simplex



Pharmacology: Vidarabine is a synthetic purine nucleoside analogue with in vitro and in vivo inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1), 2 (HSV-2), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The inhibitory activity of Vidarabine is highly selective due to its affinity for the enzyme thymidine kinase (TK) encoded by HSV and VZV. This viral enzyme converts Vidarabine into Vidarabine monophosphate, a nucleotide analogue. The monophosphate is further converted into diphosphate by cellular guanylate kinase and into triphosphate by a number of cellular enzymes. in vitro, Vidarabine triphosphate stops replication of herpes viral DNA. When used as a substrate for viral DNA polymerase, Vidarabine triphosphate competitively inhibits dATP leading to the formation of 'faulty' DNA. This is where Vidarabine triphosphate is incorporated into the DNA strand replacing many of the adenosine bases. This results in the prevention of DNA synthesis, as phosphodiester bridges can longer to be built, destabilizing the strand.

Mechanism Of Action: Vidarabine stops replication of herpes viral DNA in 3 ways: 1) competitive inhibition of viral DNA polymerase, 2) incorporation into and termination of the growing viral DNA chain, and 3) inactivation of the viral DNA polymerase.

Drug Category: Antivirals; Antimetabolites; ATC:J05AB03; ATC:S01AD06

Brand Names/Synonyms: Adenine Arabinoside; Ara Atp; Ara-A; Ara-Atp; Ara-a Triphosphate; Araadenosine; Arabinofuranosyladenine Triphosphate; Arabinoside Adenine; Arabinosyl Adenine; Arabinosyl-Atp; Arabinosyladenine; Arabinosyladenine Triphosphate; Arasena-A; Spongoadenosine; Vidarabin; Vidarabine; Vidarabine Triphosphate; Vira-A

Dosage Forms: Not Available

Absorption: Not Available

Interactions: Not Available



Chemical IUPAC Name: 2-(6-aminopurin-9-yl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-3,4-diol hydrate

Chemical Formula: C10H15N5O5

Half Life: Not Available

Drug Type: Approved Drug

# Accession No: APRD00333

CAS Registry Number: 24356-66-9