One-day antiviral treats recurrent genital herpes

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Patient-initiated, single-day
treatment with the antiviral drug famciclovir is an effective
and well-tolerated treatment for recurrent genital herpes, a
new study shows.

“For this to work the medication had to be started within
six hours of the development of a recurrence,” Dr. Fred Y. Aoki
of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, the study’s lead
author, told Reuters Health. “That will require in effect an
education and empowerment of the patient.”

The current approved regimen for the drug is 125 milligrams
twice daily for five days. Other approved antiviral drug
regimens include valacyclovir twice daily for three days, and
acyclovir five times a day for one day.

Aoki and his team tested the safety and efficacy of 1000
milligrams of famciclovir given twice daily for one day
compared to an inactive placebo in 320 patients, who were told
to begin taking the drug within six hours of the appearance of
symptoms.

Among patients who took the drug, nonaborted lesions —
those that went beyond the initial stage — lasted a median of
4.3 days compared to 6.1 days for those on placebo. Both
aborted and nonaborted lesions lasted 3.5 days among patients
given famciclovir compared to 5.0 days for those on placebo,
and 23.3 percent of the patients taking the drug had aborted
lesions, compared to 12.7 percent of those on placebo.

Patient-initiated treatment is not a new concept in the
management of genital herpes, Aoki pointed out, noting that
patients with the condition are typically very willing to take
an active part in managing it. “This convenient single-day
regimen has the potential for improving patient compliance and
satisfaction with therapy,” he and his colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Clinical Infectious Diseases January 2006.