amikacin vs cidofovir
Side-by-side comparison of amikacin and cidofovir. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
major Known Drug Interaction
Nephrotoxic agents Concomitant administration of cidofovir injection and agents with nephrotoxic potential [e.g., intravenous aminoglycosides (e.g., tobramycin, gentamicin, and amikacin), amphotericin B, foscarnet, intravenous pentamidine, vancomycin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents] is contraindicated.
Recommendation: You should not take these medicines together. Your doctor will need to change your treatment plan to avoid this combination.
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain types of bacteria.
Cidofovir injection is an antiviral medicine. It is used to treat CMV retinitis, an eye infection, in people with AIDS.
Amikacin treats serious infections caused by bacteria. This includes infections in the blood, lungs, bones, joints, brain, skin, and abdomen. It can also treat burns, post-surgery infections, and complicated urinary tract infections.
Cidofovir treats CMV retinitis in people who have AIDS. CMV retinitis is an infection in the eye that can cause vision problems. This medicine has not been proven to work for other CMV infections or in people without HIV.
Amikacin belongs to a class of drugs called aminoglycosides. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Cidofovir stops the CMV virus from making copies of itself. It does this by blocking a key enzyme the virus needs to reproduce its DNA. This helps to reduce the amount of virus in your body.
No common side effects listed.
- • Kidney problems
- • Lowered white blood cell count
- • Decreased eye pressure
- • Inflammation inside the eye
- Cough 1,620
- Dyspnoea 1,556
- Hospitalisation 1,360
- Therapy Interrupted 1,348
- Death 1,103
No adverse event reports.
Amikacin can potentially cause hearing loss and kidney damage. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems or are taking other medicines that can affect your hearing or kidneys. Your doctor should closely monitor you for hearing and kidney problems during treatment. This drug can also cause muscle weakness or breathing problems, especially if you are also taking anesthesia or certain muscle relaxants.
Cidofovir can cause serious kidney damage, possibly leading to death. To reduce this risk, you must receive IV fluids and take probenecid pills with each dose. Your kidney function and white blood cell counts will be checked regularly. This drug can also cause birth defects and cancer, based on animal studies. It is only for treating CMV retinitis in AIDS patients.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Amikacin may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if amikacin passes into breast milk.
Cidofovir may cause harm to an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if cidofovir passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
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How to Read This amikacin vs cidofovir Comparison
amikacin is classified in the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic drug class, while cidofovir sits within the Antiviral (Nucleotide Analog) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amikacin has 6,987 submissions while cidofovir has 0. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known major interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both of these drugs can be harmful to the kidneys. using them together significantly increases the chance of kidney injury.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amikacin and cidofovir - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.