ABSTRACT
Trifluridine, also known as trifluorothymidine, is a fluorinated pyrimidine nucleoside analog of thymidine and related to idoxuridine. It differs from thymidine in having three fluorine atoms in the place of three hydrogen atoms in the methyl group. It is distributed by Monarch Pharmaceuticals (Bristol, TN, USA) under the brand name Viroptic and by other generic pharmaceutical companies. It is available as a sterile ophthalmic solution that contains 1% trifluridine in an aqueous solution with acetic acid and sodium acetate (buffers), sodium chloride, and thimerosal 0.001% (added as a preservative). The pH range is specified as 5.5–6.0 and osmolality is approximately 283 mOsm. The chemical name is 1-[4-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yl]-5- (trifluoromethyl) pyrimidine-2,4-dione. The chemical formula is C10H11F3N2O5, and the molecular weight is 296.21. The chemical structure is shown in Figure 221.1. Chemical structure of trifluridine. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315152110/08d8042d-9481-4a8d-8c27-9bd589f6de6b/content/fig221_1.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
