Electrically charged acyclovir speeds herpes healing

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A device that uses
“iontophoresis” to enhance tissue penetration of topically
applied acyclovir speeds the healing of cold sores, a study
shows.

Iontophoresis refers to the use of a small electric current
to move ionized substances through the skin into tissues.

“The results of this study are very exciting because of the
timing of treatment,” Dr. Dennis I. Goldberg from Transport
Pharmaceuticals, Framingham, Massachusetts told Reuters Health.

“Since patients were required to set up an appointment and
then come into the clinic, treatment was delayed for up to 24
hours after first signs and symptoms. In spite of that, the
results were extremely encouraging,” Goldberg explained.

The Iontophoretic Acyclovir Cold Sore Study Group tested
Transport Pharmaceutical’s new handheld iontophoretic device in
a clinical study to determine whether improved transdermal
delivery of acyclovir translates into better efficacy in
treating cold sores caused by herpes.

The pen-sized device generates a low-voltage weak electric
current. It holds an acyclovir reservoir on its head electrode,
which is then applied to the cold sore as the patient holds
hydrogel electrodes on the device to complete the circuit.

The study involved 200 patients experiencing a herpes
outbreak who were randomly assigned to use the device with
either acyclovir cream or placebo cream.

A single 10-minute treatment was associated with an
increased frequency of aborted lesions (46 percent versus 24
percent in the placebo group), the authors report, but this
difference was apparent only in subjects who received treatment
when only redness was present.

The frequency of aborted lesions did not differ among
patients who already had a lesion or edema (swelling).

The median time to healing was shortened by 71 hours in the
group treated at the redness stage and by 35 hours in the group
treated at the lesion/edema stage, and the latter difference
was not statistically significant.

Among the 17 side effects in the active treatment group and
the 19 side effects in the placebo treatment group, the most
common was a mild electrical sensation that required no
treatment, the researchers note.

SOURCE: Clinical Infectious Diseases August 15, 2006.