Repurposing the Antiviral Drug Valganciclovir to Treat Cytomegalovirus-Induced Hearing Loss

Principal Investigator: Dr. Joseph Rower​

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Disease: Hearing loss

Research Description: Almost 400 children die each year from congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infections, and more than one-third of affected infants develop permanent disabilities. cCMV is a leading cause of childhood sensorineural hearing loss, a condition where the inner ear is unable to convert sound into nerve impulses to the brain. The resulting hearing loss has extreme detrimental effects on language development and quality of life. Valganciclovir is an antiviral drug FDA-approved for children to prevent infection following organ transplants. While valganciclovir has been used off-label for cCMV hearing loss, there has been a wide variability of treatment results and the most effective dose is not well known. This multi-center clinical trial will test valganciclovir in asymptomatic cCMV infants with hearing loss to ultimately determine optimal dosing levels for each patient through drug monitoring, the association between a patient’s drug exposure and the drug’s efficacy and safety.

Funding Partners: The Charles H. Hood Foundation

CWR funding role: Participating funder