| Description |
Fomivirsen is a antisense 21 mer phosphorothioate oligonucleotide. It is an antiviral agent that was used in the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMV) in immunocompromised patients, including those with AIDS. As a complementary nucleotide to the messenger RNA of the major immediate-early region proteins of human cytomegalovirus, it disrupts the replication of the virus through an antisense mechanism [L1428]. It was discovered by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was first developed by _Isis Pharmaceuticals_ and subsequently licensed to _Novartis_ [A31990]. The drug was withdrawn by the FDA because while there was a high unmet need for drugs to treat CMV when the drug was initially discovered and developed due to the CMV arising in people with AIDS, the development of HAART dramatically reduced the number of cases of CMV. Fomivirsen is marketed under the trade name Vitravene for intravitreal injection and was the first antisense drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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