Pilot Study of Model-Based Dosage Individualization of Ganciclovir in Neonates and Young Infants with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection are at high risk for developing permanent sequelae. Intravenous ganciclovir therapy is frequently used for the treatment of congenital CMV infection. A target area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0–24 ) of 40 to 50 μg · h/ml is recommended. The standard dose has resulted in a large variability in ganciclovir exposure in newborns, indicating the unmet need of dosage individualization for this vulnerable population, but the implementation of this strategy remains challenging in clinical practice. We aim to evaluate the clinical utility of model-based dosage individualization of ganciclovir in newborns using an opportunistic sampling approach. The predictive performance of a published ganciclovir population pharmacokinetic model was evaluated using an independent patient cohort. The individual dose was adjusted based on the target AUC0–24 to ensure its efficacy. A total of 26 newborns with congenital CMV infection were included in the present study. Only 11 (42.3%) patients achieved the target AUC0–24 after being given the standard dose. For all the subtherapeutic patients (achieving <80% of the target AUC) (n = 5), a model-based dosage adjustment was performed using the Bayesian estimation method combined with the opportunistic sampling strategy. The adjusted doses were increased by 28.6% to 60.0% in these five patients, and all adapted AUC0–24 values achieved the target (range, 48.6 to 66.1 μg · h/ml). The clinical utility of model-based dosing individualization of ganciclovir was demonstrated in newborns with congenital CMV infection. The population pharmacokinetic model combined with the opportunistic sampling strategy provides a clinically feasible method to adapt the ganciclovir dose in neonatal clinical practice. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT03113344.)