Valacyclovir
Valacyclovir
Definition
The hydrochloride salt of the L-valyl ester of the antiviral drug acyclovir. Orally administered, valacyclovir is rapidly converted to acyclovir which inhibits viral DNA replication after further conversion to the nucleotide analog acyclovir triphosphate by viral thymidine kinase, cellular guanyl cyclase, and a number of other cellular enzymes. Acyclovir triphosphate competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase; incorporates into and terminates the growing viral DNA chain; and inactivates viral DNA polymerase. The greater antiviral activity of acyclovir against herpes simplex virus (HSV) compared with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is due to its more efficient phosphorylation by HSV thymidine kinase.
Also known as L-Valine ester with 9-((2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl)guanine, Valaciclovir, ValACV, VALACYCLOVIR, Zelitrex — per NCIT
Also identified as
- ATC J05AB per NCIT
- NCIT NCIT:C28235 per NCIT
Indications
| Disease | Relation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Herpes simplex infectious disease | may prevent | MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Chickenpox | may treat | MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Genital herpes | may treat | MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Herpes labialis | may treat | MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
| Herpes zoster | may treat | MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work) |
Organ Effects
| Organ | Side effect / interaction | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Craniocervical region | may treat a disease of this organ | DERIVED · CC BY 4.0 |
1 entry above is marked DERIVED: Atlas Médico inferred it by combining two sourced claims, and no source asserts this link directly. Treat it as a navigation aid, not as a clinical statement.