New treatments for cytomegalovirus in transplant patients

The purpose of this review is to highlight novel advances in prophylaxis against and treatment of CMV in kidney transplant recipients. Current options include intravenous ganciclovir and oral valganciclovir, but use of these agents is limited by side effects, such as myelosuppression as well as evolving resistance in CMV strains.

Advances in the field include novel drugs that have shown promise in preliminary studies and are now being tested in large-scale clinical trials. Moreover, there is a developing focus in enhancing host immune responses to better protect against viral infection using anti-CMV vaccines. Studying host immune responses to CMV has also led to improved monitoring strategies, such as the QuantiFERON assay, which will allow for improved risk stratification and targeted therapies in transplant recipients.

In summary, although options for prophylaxis and treatment against CMV have been somewhat limited to date, a number of new strategies are currently under development with several drugs in phase 3 trials. Therefore, the landscape of CMV management in kidney transplant recipients will be changing significantly in the coming years with the ultimate goal of safer and more effective therapies to combat CMV.