Adefovir Dipivoxil is an oral prodrug of adefovir, which is an acyclic nucleotide analogue. After oral administration, adefovir dipivoxil is rapidly converted to adefovir. Adefovir then undergoes phosphorylation by cellular kinases to the active diphosphate form, which competes with the natural substrate deoxyadenosine triphosphate for incorporation into viral DNA by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase. The incorporation of adefovir diphosphate into the viral DNA results in DNA chain termination, thereby inhibiting viral replication.
Antiviral Spectrum:
- Hepatitis B Virus (HBV): Adefovir dipivoxil is primarily used to treat chronic hepatitis B infection. It has demonstrated efficacy against both wild-type and lamivudine-resistant strains of HBV.
