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Active substance

Ganciclovir

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Nucleoside analogue antiviral. No registration in force in Georgia. Forms: gel.

Dose and use

Doses

Each dose comes with its source. Check the label of the product you use.

Active substance Ganciclovir
Dose Species Indication Route Frequency Source
1 drops
off-label
 Dog Herpesviral Ocular Disease Into the eye 5 times daily for 7 days, then 3 times daily for 7 days
Ledbetter et al. 2018
Scientific article
A study or review published in a scientific journal. Its findings apply to the animals and conditions it studied.
Evaluation of topical ophthalmic ganciclovir gel for the treatment of dogs with experimentally induced ocular canine herpesvirus-1 infection
American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2018
1 drops
off-label
 Cat Herpesviral Ocular Disease Into the eye 3 times daily
ABCD 2026
Guideline or consensus statement
Recommendations agreed by a panel of veterinary specialists after reviewing the evidence. They guide practice and do not authorise a product.
Guideline for feline herpesvirus infection
ABCD, 2026
Before use

Safety information

Known Contraindications

  • Critical
    Do not use ganciclovir in patients with hypersensitivity to ganciclovir, acyclovir, or any component of the formulation.
    Sources: Virgan SmPC
  • Warning
    Ganciclovir is not recommended during pregnancy or lactation unless no suitable alternative is available and the expected benefit outweighs the risk.
    Sources: Virgan SmPC · FDA
  • Warning
    Ganciclovir is not recommended during lactation unless no suitable alternative is available and the expected benefit outweighs the risk.
    Sources: Virgan SmPC

Known Drug Interactions

  • Minor warning Trimethoprim/Sulfonamide + Ganciclovir
    Although systemic exposure after ophthalmic ganciclovir is low, an interaction with trimethoprim/sulfonamide combinations cannot be excluded; additive bone-marrow toxicity is possible.
    Recommendation: Systemic absorption from the eye gel is low; perform haematology monitoring during prolonged combination therapy.
    Sources: Virgan SmPC
Latin name
Ganciclovir
Georgian name
განციკლოვირი
Authorisation status
Human medicine, cascade use
No veterinary authorisation was found in any register checked. Veterinary use is off-label, under the prescribing cascade.
Registered in Georgia
0 of 1 forms
Products
Virgan
Controlled in Georgia
No
Checked against the narcotics law, Annex 1, lists I-IV, and Order No. 22/n.
Verified on: 16 Oct 2026
All forms and registration1

Registration in Georgia and abroad: the register, number, validity and source are behind (i).

Virgan 0.15% (1.5 mg/g), Gel

eye gel 5 g, human medicine
vetman assessment
vetman’s 10-point assessment brings together a product’s regulatory credibility, clinical efficacy, safety and practicality. Cost-effectiveness is assessed only when reliable data are available. It is informational and does not replace a veterinarian’s clinical judgment for an individual patient.
Dog Topical treatment of virologically plausible or confirmed ocular CHV-1 epithelial disease
5.7/10
Weak evidence support
vetman assessment

Virgan

0.15% (1.5 mg/g), eye gel 5 g, human medicine
Assessed clinical scopeDog · Topical treatment of virologically plausible or confirmed ocular CHV-1 epithelial disease · Into the eye
Care settingVeterinarian-diagnosed outpatient ophthalmic treatment with baseline corneal/ocular examination and prompt re-examination for worsening pain, opacity, ulceration, uveitis, glaucoma or nonresponse.
vetman score 5.7/10 Weak evidence support
Evidence confidence: Low Georgia: No longer listed · № რ-027931 · Verified on 22 Oct 2026 Off-label use

A biologically credible but weakly supported option for the rare, narrow setting of ocular CHV-1. Benefit comes from one small experimental beagle study; the demanding 5-times-daily initial regimen, absent natural-disease cohort and limited safety replication prevent routine use for nonspecific canine keratitis.

Regulatory and scientific credibility6.0/10

Exact Virgan identity and current EU/GB human authorisations are transparent, but canine use is off-label, Georgian registration expired and product support rests on one experimental canine gel study without a current canine consensus recommendation.

Clinical efficacy5.5/10

One experimental 10-beagle study reduced clinical disease, ocular inflammation and shedding, but no naturally acquired CHV-1 outcome cohort, independent replication or broad canine keratitis evidence was located.

Safety and tolerability6.5/10

No treatment-associated adverse effects were reported in the 10-beagle study and the exact human label is detailed, but natural-disease and repeated-use canine safety are sparse; irritation, punctate keratitis, benzalkonium exposure and reproductive uncertainty remain.

Clinical practicality4.0/10

Five daily instillations for 7 days followed by three daily for 7 days creates substantial home restraint/adherence burden, alongside clean technique, 15-minute separation from other eye medicines and ocular rechecks.

Full-course cost-effectiveness-

A current Georgian exact-pack price and patient-specific full-course cost were not verified; price is excluded from the denominator.

Important safety and use flags

  • Use only after an ophthalmic examination supports epithelial herpesviral surface disease. This score does not cover nonspecific conjunctivitis, bacterial/fungal keratitis, deep/stromal ulceration, uveitis, glaucoma, trauma, dry eye, respiratory herpesvirus disease or prophylaxis.
  • Promptly re-examine worsening blepharospasm/pain, discharge, corneal haze or opacity, ulcer enlargement/depth, reduced vision, uveitis, glaucoma, marked irritation or absent expected response; do not simply extend treatment.
  • Transient burning/stinging, irritation and blurred vision are very common in the human label; superficial punctate keratitis and conjunctival hyperaemia are common. Benzalkonium chloride 75 micrograms/g may irritate a dry or diseased cornea.
  • Do not use with known hypersensitivity to ganciclovir, acyclovir or an excipient. Stop and reassess suspected allergy or severe ocular-surface intolerance.
  • Do not touch the nozzle to the eye, eyelid, skin or another surface and do not share a tube between animals. Maintain clean technique to avoid contaminating an ulcerated cornea.
  • When another topical ophthalmic medicine is required, separate products by at least 15 minutes and instil Virgan last; verify disease-specific compatibility rather than layering drops without a plan.
  • Systemic absorption is low, but additive marrow or rapidly dividing-cell toxicity with trimethoprim-sulfonamide, other nucleoside analogues, cytotoxic or myelosuppressive drugs cannot be excluded; review concurrent treatment and consider CBC monitoring for prolonged/high-risk use.
  • Avoid during pregnancy, lactation or breeding unless no safer effective alternative exists and the individual benefit clearly outweighs uncertainty. The human SmPC reports genotoxic, fertility and developmental findings after systemic exposure.
  • The positive cat study used commercial Zirgan 0.15% gel in six experimentally infected cats; the negative 132-cat shelter trial used compounded 0.15% solution twice daily for only 7 days. Do not erase either result or claim exact Virgan field efficacy.
  • Exact-product repeated-use safety is not established in naturally diseased dogs/cats, juveniles, immunocompromised patients or animals with severe corneal disease. Discard the tube four weeks after opening and follow exact-pack storage/expiry instructions.
Assessment sources
  1. Virgan exact SmPC2024
  2. GE Virgan audit2026
  3. Virgan EU/GB audit2026
  4. Veterinary ganciclovir audit2026
  5. Canine CHV-1 gel trial2018
Assessed: 22 Oct 2026The overall score uses 25/25/25/15/10 weights. An unassessed price is excluded and the remaining weights are proportionally renormalised.
Cat Topical adjunctive antiviral treatment of diagnosed or strongly suspected epithelial ocular FHV-1 disease
6.8/10
Situational / acceptable
vetman assessment

Virgan

0.15% (1.5 mg/g), eye gel 5 g, human medicine
Assessed clinical scopeCat · Topical adjunctive antiviral treatment of diagnosed or strongly suspected epithelial ocular FHV-1 disease · Into the eye
Care settingVeterinarian-diagnosed outpatient ophthalmic treatment with baseline corneal/ocular examination and prompt re-examination for worsening pain, opacity, ulceration, uveitis, glaucoma or nonresponse.
vetman score 6.8/10 Situational / acceptable
Evidence confidence: Medium Georgia: No longer listed · № რ-027931 · Verified on 22 Oct 2026 Off-label use

A credible off-label topical option for a narrow epithelial ocular FHV-1 scope, supported by current ABCD guidance and one small controlled experimental trial. It is not a universal conjunctivitis treatment: field evidence is mixed and formulation-dependent, and corneal diagnosis, anti-inflammatory decisions and close rechecks remain independent.

Regulatory and scientific credibility7.0/10

Exact Virgan identity, current EU/GB human authorisations and a transparent 2024 SmPC are verifiable, while feline use is supported by current ABCD guidance; veterinary use remains off-label, Georgian registration expired and the positive trial used Zirgan rather than exact Virgan.

Clinical efficacy6.5/10

A small randomised experimental FHV-1 trial found lower clinical scores, corneal infiltrates and qPCR viral load versus placebo and similar results to famciclovir, but only six cats received gel; natural-disease evidence is formulation/frequency-mismatched and did not show broad benefit.

Safety and tolerability7.0/10

Commercial 0.15% gel was tolerated in four healthy cats and six experimentally infected cats with unremarkable bloodwork, and systemic exposure is low; small samples cannot exclude uncommon corneal, marrow or reproductive harms, while benzalkonium can irritate diseased cornea.

Clinical practicality6.5/10

One drop q8h for 14 days is feasible at home but requires repeated restraint, clean technique, avoiding nozzle contact, 15-minute spacing from other eye medicines and timely rechecks; discard four weeks after opening.

Full-course cost-effectiveness-

A current Georgian exact-pack price and patient-specific full-course cost were not verified; price is excluded from the denominator.

Important safety and use flags

  • Use only after an ophthalmic examination supports epithelial herpesviral surface disease. This score does not cover nonspecific conjunctivitis, bacterial/fungal keratitis, deep/stromal ulceration, uveitis, glaucoma, trauma, dry eye, respiratory herpesvirus disease or prophylaxis.
  • Promptly re-examine worsening blepharospasm/pain, discharge, corneal haze or opacity, ulcer enlargement/depth, reduced vision, uveitis, glaucoma, marked irritation or absent expected response; do not simply extend treatment.
  • Transient burning/stinging, irritation and blurred vision are very common in the human label; superficial punctate keratitis and conjunctival hyperaemia are common. Benzalkonium chloride 75 micrograms/g may irritate a dry or diseased cornea.
  • Do not use with known hypersensitivity to ganciclovir, acyclovir or an excipient. Stop and reassess suspected allergy or severe ocular-surface intolerance.
  • Do not touch the nozzle to the eye, eyelid, skin or another surface and do not share a tube between animals. Maintain clean technique to avoid contaminating an ulcerated cornea.
  • When another topical ophthalmic medicine is required, separate products by at least 15 minutes and instil Virgan last; verify disease-specific compatibility rather than layering drops without a plan.
  • Systemic absorption is low, but additive marrow or rapidly dividing-cell toxicity with trimethoprim-sulfonamide, other nucleoside analogues, cytotoxic or myelosuppressive drugs cannot be excluded; review concurrent treatment and consider CBC monitoring for prolonged/high-risk use.
  • Avoid during pregnancy, lactation or breeding unless no safer effective alternative exists and the individual benefit clearly outweighs uncertainty. The human SmPC reports genotoxic, fertility and developmental findings after systemic exposure.
  • The positive cat study used commercial Zirgan 0.15% gel in six experimentally infected cats; the negative 132-cat shelter trial used compounded 0.15% solution twice daily for only 7 days. Do not erase either result or claim exact Virgan field efficacy.
  • Exact-product repeated-use safety is not established in naturally diseased dogs/cats, juveniles, immunocompromised patients or animals with severe corneal disease. Discard the tube four weeks after opening and follow exact-pack storage/expiry instructions.
Assessment sources
  1. Virgan exact SmPC2024
  2. GE Virgan audit2026
  3. Virgan EU/GB audit2026
  4. Veterinary ganciclovir audit2026
  5. ABCD 20262026
  6. Ledbetter et al. 20222022
  7. Feline gel tolerability2021
  8. Shelter FHV-1 trial2023
Assessed: 22 Oct 2026The overall score uses 25/25/25/15/10 weights. An unassessed price is excluded and the remaining weights are proportionally renormalised.
Composition / strength
Ganciclovir1.5 mg/g
Formulation Type
Gel
Administration route
Into the eye
Manufacturer
Laboratoires Théa · France
Registration
Georgia No longer listed
Was registered; not in the current register
Human (Ministry of Health, RAMA)
In the register: ვირგანი 0.15% თვალის გელი
№ რ-027931
Verified on: 22 Oct 2026
 EU Yes, human
Verified on: 16 Oct 2026
 UK Yes, human
№ PL201620006, PLPI151841669, PLPI158141323, PLPI163692182
Verified on: 16 Oct 2026
 US No
Verified on: 16 Oct 2026
Controlled in Georgia
No
Checked against the narcotics law, Annex 1, lists I-IV, and Order No. 22/n.
Verified on: 16 Oct 2026
Information not fully verified All veterinary use is off-label. Cat FHV-1 epithelial ocular disease: one drop in the affected eye(s) every 8 hours; ABCD guidance and a 14-day experimental gel study support this regimen. Dog ocular CHV-1: one drop in the affected eye(s) five times daily for 7 days, then three times daily for 7 days, based only on one 10-beagle experimental study. Examine and diagnose the eye first. Space other ophthalmic products by at least 15 minutes and instil Virgan last. Avoid nozzle contact/cross-contamination and discard four weeks after opening.

Professional reference for veterinary professionals. Not advertising and not a substitute for the product label/SPC.

For veterinary professionals only. It does not replace clinical judgement or the product label; check the dose in the official label (SPC). vetman is not liable for harm caused by using this information.

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This reference is still growing. Missing a product? Let us know. · Report an error or request an addition · Updated: 23 Oct 2026

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