Evaluation of the Half-life of Intravenous Human Cytomegalovirus Immune Globulin in Patients Receiving Partially Mismatched Related Donor Bone Marrow Transplantation

Study Objective. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and use of intravenous human cytomegalovirus immune globulin (CytoGam) in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Design. Prospective, nonrandomized, nonblinded, single-center study. Setting. University teaching hospital. Patients. Five consecutive patients with hematologic malignancies receiving partially mismatched related donor BMT with a uniform conditioning regimen including total body irradiation and chemotherapy. Intervention. Serum immunoglobulin and cytomegalovirus (CMV) titers were measured before and 24 hours after the first CytoGam infusion on day -6 during the conditioning regimen. Measurements and Main Results. These levels were measured every 5 days, and a second dose was administered when the CMV titer returned to 25-50% of the 24-hour level. The half-life of CytoGam was approximately 7 days. Conclusion. We believe this is the first report of CytoGam's half-life in allogeneic BMT. The information may prove vital in a future study in which the agent's potential beneficial effects can be maximized.