dexamethasone + etoposide + ganciclovir

This is a combination regimen consisting of three drugs:

• Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid corticosteroid with potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. It acts primarily by binding to the glucocorticoid receptor, modulating gene expression, and suppressing immune responses.
• Etoposide is a topoisomerase II inhibitor used as an antineoplastic agent. It induces DNA strand breaks by inhibiting the enzyme topoisomerase II, leading to apoptosis in rapidly dividing cells.
• Ganciclovir is an antiviral nucleoside analogue that inhibits viral DNA polymerase after phosphorylation, thereby blocking replication of herpesviruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV).

This combination may be used in specific clinical scenarios such as cytomegalovirus-induced haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or other severe viral infections with associated immune dysregulation. Each component targets different aspects of disease pathology—dexamethasone for inflammation/immune suppression, etoposide for cytotoxic effects on activated immune cells or malignancy, and ganciclovir for direct antiviral activity against CMV.