cidofovir vs vancomycin
Side-by-side comparison of cidofovir and vancomycin. 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: Do not take these two medicines together. Your doctor should use a different treatment to protect your kidneys.
Vistide
Vancocin
Cidofovir injection is an antiviral medicine. It is used to treat CMV retinitis, an eye infection, in people with AIDS.
Vancomycin is a strong antibiotic. It fights serious infections caused by certain bacteria.
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.
Vancomycin treats serious infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to some other antibiotics. This includes infections like endocarditis (infection of the heart valves), septicemia (blood poisoning), bone infections, lung infections, and skin infections. It can also treat pseudomembranous colitis, a severe diarrhea caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the colon.
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.
Vancomycin works by stopping bacteria from building their cell walls. Without a cell wall, the bacteria cannot survive. This helps your body fight off the infection.
- • Kidney problems
- • Lowered white blood cell count
- • Decreased eye pressure
- • Inflammation inside the eye
- • Flushing of the upper body ('red neck')
- • Pain or muscle spasm in the chest and back
- • Inflammation at the injection site
No adverse event reports.
- Acute Kidney Injury 4,178
- Pyrexia 3,513
- Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms 2,311
- Renal Failure 2,196
- Sepsis 2,060
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.
Rapid infusions of vancomycin can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, wheezing, trouble breathing, hives, or itching. Severe skin reactions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis have also been reported.
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.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is not known if vancomycin will harm an unborn baby. Vancomycin passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you need to take this medicine.
How to Read This cidofovir vs vancomycin Comparison
cidofovir is classified in the Antiviral (Nucleotide Analog) drug class, while vancomycin sits within the Glycopeptide Antibiotic 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 vancomycin has 14,258. 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 drugs can harm the kidneys. taking them at the same time increases the risk of serious kidney damage.. 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 cidofovir and vancomycin - 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.