• The Journal of the Society of Stroke on Korean Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2012

In this case, patient diagnosed as herpes zoster was given Famciclovir for 5 days but did not respond. The patient was then confirmed as Soyangin and given combined medication of Yangdokbackho-tang and Famciclovir and showed remarkable improvement in vesicles and his pain. Most of symptoms were gone after 10 days of combined medication. We used Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) and pictures of the affected part for the assessment and report this case.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2005

Famciclovir is an oral prodrug of the antiherpesvirus nucleoside analogue, penciclovir. In human, famciclovir is orally well absorbed and then undergoes extensive first pass metabolism to penciclovir and essentially no parent compound is recovered from plasma or urine. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two famciclovir tablets, $Famvir^{TM}$ tablet 250 mg (Novartis Korea Ltd.) and Famcivir (Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The release of famciclovir from the two famciclovir formulations in vitro was tested using KP VIII Apparatus II method with water. Twenty six healthy male subjects, $24.19{\pm}2.08$ years in age and $71.55{\pm}6.89$ kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After a single tablet containing 250 mg as famciclovir was orally administered, blood samples were taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of penciclovir in serum were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The dissolution profiles of two formulations were similar at water. In addition, the pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters using logarithmically transformed $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and untransformed $T_{max}$. The results showed that the differences between two formulations based on the reference drug, $Famvir^{TM}$ tablet 250 mg, were -2.93, -8.02 and 10.47% for $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$, respectively. There were no sequence effects between two formulations in these parameters. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of log0.8 to log1.25 (e.g., $log0.92{\sim}log1.01$ and $log0.85{\sim}log1.00$ for $AUC_t$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). Thus, the criteria of the KFDA bioequivalence guideline were satisfied, indicating Famcivir was bioequivalent to $Famvir^{TM}$ tablet 250 mg.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2008

Famciclovir, 9-(4-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethylbut-1-yl) guanine, is an oral prodrug of the antiherpesvirus nucleoside analogue, penciclovir. In human, famciclovir is orally well absorbed and then undergoes extensive first pass metabolism to penciclovir and essentially no parent compound is recovered from plasma or urine. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two famciclovir tablets, Famvir tablet 750 mg (Novartis Korea Ltd.) and Famcivir tablet 750 mg (Hanmi Pharmaceutical. Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The release of famciclovir from the two famciclovir formulations in vitro was tested using KP VIII Apparatus II method with water. Twenty six healthy male subjects, $23.38{\pm}1.72$ years in age and $68.59{\pm}7.84\;kg$ in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After a single tablet containing 750 mg as famciclovir was orally administered, blood samples were taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of penciclovir in serum were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The dissolution profiles of two formulations ere similar at water. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters using logarithmically transformed $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and untransformed $T_{max}$. The results showed that the differences between two formulations based on the reference drug, $Famvir^{(R)}$ tablet 750 mg, were -0.53%, 1.12% and -24.82% for $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$, respectively. There were no sequence effects between two formulations in these parameters. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of log 0.8 to log 1.25 (e.g., $log\;0.9569{\sim}log\;1.0423$ and $log\;0.8763{\sim}log\;1.2136$ for $AUC_t$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). Thus, the criteria of the KFDA bioequivalence guideline were satisfied, indicating Famcivir tablet 750 mg was bioequivalent to Famvir tablet 750 mg.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.4-10
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• 2023

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common disease in the aging population and immunocompromised individuals, with a lifetime risk of 20%-30% that increases with age. HZ is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which remains latent in the spinal dorsal root ganglia and cranial sensory ganglia after resolution of the primary VZV infection. The main focus of HZ management is rapid recovery from VZV infection as well as the reduction and prevention of zoster-associated pain (ZAP) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The use of antivirals against VZV is essential in the treatment of HZ. However, limited antivirals are only licensed clinically for the treatment of HZ, including acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir, brivudine, and amenamevir. Fortunately, some new antivirals against different types of Herpesviridae have been investigated and suggested as novel drugs against VZV. Therefore, this review focuses on discussing the difference in efficacy and safety in the currently licensed antivirals for the treatment of HZ, the applicability of future novel antivirals against VZV, and the preventive or therapeutic effects of these antivirals on ZAP or PHN.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.89-105
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• 1998

In the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in the battle against hepatitis B virus. In addition to the immunomodulating agents such as interferon-.alpha., and thymosin, many novel antiviral agents have been discovered, among which nucleoside analogues are the mainstay. New-generation compounds such as 3TC and famciclovir have shown promise in the treatment of patients chronically infected by this virus, and are on the line for approval. However, viral rebound after cessation of therapy still remains a major problem. Additionally, the reports on the drug resistance to these antiviral agents suggest that combination therapy will be the eventual strategy (Bartholomew et al., 1997; Tipples et al., 1996). Therefore, developments of safe and effective antiviral agents which do not cross-resist with currently available antiviral drugs are still much needed.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.247-249
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• 2015

Herpes zoster most commonly occurs in elderly patients, and usually affects sensory neurons. Therefore, its characteristic symptoms are segmental pain, itching, and sensory changes in the affected areas. A 71-yr-old woman experienced painful herpetic rash on the right cervical 2-4 dermatomes for 16 days. Two days after the onset of the rash, she was diagnosed with herpes zoster, and prescribed 250 mg famciclovir three times a day for 7 days, pregabalin 150 mg twice a day, and tramadol 150 mg once a day for 14 days, by a dermatologist. Despite medication, her pain was rated at an intensity of 6/10 on the numeric rating scale. In addition, she complained of severe itching sensation on the affected dermatomes. Superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) was performed at the right C4 level with 15 ml 0.5% lidocaine plus triamcinolone 30 mg. Five days after the procedure, pain and itching completely disappeared. SCPB may be an effective option for the treatment of acute pain and itching arising from herpes zoster, and for the prevention of postherpetic neuralgia.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.266-270
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• 2001

An 85-year old female patient visited our pain clinic because of pin pricking pain and allodynia on the left forehead area for 2 days. Vesicular eruptions were seen along the left supraorbital nerve distribution. She experienced similar pain and eruptions on the contralateral forehead, the supraorbital counter area, 8 years previous. She had been taking antihypertensive medications for 15 years. She also had suffered from diabetes mellitus. She received a total hysterectomy and anterior posterior colporrhapy due to procidentia uteri and severe cystocele and rectocele. She had been treated intermittently for back pain due to advanced osteoarthritis and spondylosis. She was treated with famciclovir and triamcinolone acetonide with daily stellate ganglion block and supraorbital nerve block. Nortriptyline (a tricyclic antidepressant) and midazolam was prescribed to relieve pain and difficulty in sleeping. After 3 days, all treatment was ended because it was impossible to assess the severity of pain due to the senile psychosis of the patient. She eventually expired after 2 months. We report this case because it is rare for herpes zoster to recur, and particularly on the contralateral counter area.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.16
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• 2024

Background: Canine parvoviral enteritis (CPE) is a fatal disease worldwide. The treatment of CPE is based mainly on supportive and symptomatic treatment. Antiviral addition to the treatment may result in a higher survival. Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of antiviral treatments with a standardized treatment (ST) on the clinical and inflammatory response of dogs with naturally occurring CPE. Methods: Twenty-eight dogs with CPE caused by canine parvovirus type 2 were divided randomly into treatment groups. The ST group received fluid, antibiotic, antiemetic, and deworming treatments. The antiviral treatment groups received the same ST with an additional antiviral drug, recombinant feline interferon omega (rFeIFN-ω), oseltamivir (OSEL) or famciclovir (FAM). Results: Compared to the healthy control, the tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, haptoglobin, and C-reactive protein values were high (p < 0.05) on day zero. At presentation, mild lymphopenia, neutropenia, and a high neutrophil to lymphocyte (LYM) ratio (NLR) were also observed. Adding rFeIFN-ω to the ST produced the best improvement in the clinical score with a decreased NLR, while leucocytes remained low and inflammatory markers stayed high on day three. The survival rates of the groups were 85.7% in ST+IFN, 71.4% in ST+OSEL, 71.4% in ST+FAM, and 57.1% in ST groups on day seven. Conclusions: Antiviral drugs may be valuable in treating CPE to improve the clinical signs and survival. In addition, the decrease in NLR in favor of LYM may be an indicator of the early prognosis before the improvement of leukocytes, cytokines, and acute phase proteins in CPE.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2024

Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) treated patients experience various complications. We present a rare case of post-CCRT Bell's palsy and describe its various possible causes, so as to increase awareness among clinicians about Bell's palsy being a CCRT-associated adverse effect. The patient was a 48-year-old man diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma who presented with post-CCRT Bell's palsy. After radiotherapy for 6 weeks (overall 67.5 Gy) and four rounds of cisplatin chemotherapy, he complained of paralysis of the entire left face. A test was performed 33 days after the last CCRT session to differentiate Bell's palsy from other causative factors. Based on magnetic resonance imaging findings, facial nerve invasion due to tumor size increase was determined to not cause Bell's palsy. Inflammation of the left Eustachian tube was observed. Hence, steroids and famciclovir were administered, which markedly improved the facial paralysis symptoms within 56 days after facial paralysis development. In conclusion, patients can develop Bell's palsy owing to complex effects of various CCRT mechanisms. Although the exact cause of Bell's palsy has not been identified and the effectiveness of drug treatment was questionable in this case, unlikely causative factors should be excluded through various tests and appropriate and timely measures must be adopted.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2007

A simple and rapid HPLC method with fluorescence detection(FLD) for quantitation of penciclovir in human plasma using a monolithic column was developed and validated. Penciclovir and ganciclovir(internal standard, I.S.) were separated on a Chromolith column RP-18e ($4.6{\times}100mm$) with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of (A) methanol/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 mg/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (3/97, pH 2.5) and (B) methanol/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer containing 200 mg/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (50/50, pH 2.5) at a flow gradient of $1.6{\sim}4.0mL/min$. The retention times of penciclovir and internal standard were less than 4.0 min. Calibration curve was linear ($R^2=0.9994$) over a concentration range of $0.1{\sim}5{\mu}g/mL$. Intra-day precision, accuracy and inter-day precision were 1.36~8.55 %, 92.8~100.0 % and 0.93~5.62 %, respectively with a limit of quantitation at $0.1{\mu}g/mL$. The present HPLC-FLD method is sensitive, precise and accurate. The method described herein has been successfully used for the bioequivalence study of a famciclovir formulation product after oral administration to healthy Korean volunteers.