Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is usually trivial, but in patients whose immune system is suppressed, e.g. by AIDS, it can cause lethal lung and gut infections and blindness from retinitis. Ganciclovir (Cymevene - licensed to Syntex; discovered by Wellcome) is the first drug with useful activity against CMV. In vitro it is ten times as active against CMV as acyclovir, a related nucleoside analogue used in other herpes virus infections.¹