cidofovir vs methotrexate
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Side-by-side comparison of cidofovir and methotrexate. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Drug Interactions Probenecid Probenecid is known to interact with the metabolism or renal tubular excretion of many drugs (e.g., acetaminophen, acyclovir, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, aminosalicylic acid, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, bumetanide, clofibrate, methotrexate, famotidine, furosemide, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, theophylline, and zidovudine).
Vistide
Trexall, Otrexup
Cidofovir injection is an antiviral medicine. It is used to treat CMV retinitis, an eye infection, in people with AIDS.
Methotrexate is a drug that can treat certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and other conditions. It works by slowing the growth of cells in the body.
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.
Methotrexate can treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer, in adults and children. It also treats mycosis fungoides, a skin lymphoma, in adults. Additionally, it treats relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults. For non-cancer conditions, it treats rheumatoid arthritis in adults, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in children, and severe psoriasis in adults.
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.
Methotrexate blocks an enzyme called dihydrofolate reductase. This enzyme is needed for cells to grow and multiply. By blocking this enzyme, methotrexate slows down the growth of cells, especially cancer cells and cells that cause inflammation in arthritis and psoriasis.
- • Kidney problems
- • Lowered white blood cell count
- • Decreased eye pressure
- • Inflammation inside the eye
- • Mouth sores
- • Nausea
- • Abdominal pain
- • Changes in liver tests
No adverse event reports.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis 38,053
- Arthralgia 36,283
- Pain 35,413
- Fatigue 29,061
- Nausea 24,009
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.
Methotrexate can cause serious harm to an unborn baby, including death. If you are pregnant, you should not take this medicine for non-cancer conditions. If you are taking it for cancer, talk to your doctor about the risks. This medicine can also cause severe allergic reactions and other serious side effects that can be life-threatening. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience any signs of infection, lung problems, or kidney problems.
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.
Methotrexate can cause birth defects or fetal death if taken during pregnancy for non-cancer conditions. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor. Do not breastfeed while taking methotrexate, as it can pass into breast milk and harm your baby.
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How to Read This cidofovir vs methotrexate Comparison
cidofovir is classified in the Antiviral (Nucleotide Analog) drug class, while methotrexate sits within the Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD) 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, cidofovir has 0 submissions while methotrexate has 162,819. 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 minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to probenecid is required with cidofovir and can prevent the kidneys from clearing methotrexate from the body. this can cause methotrexate levels to rise, which may increase the risk of side effects.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for cidofovir or methotrexate.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.