title: Treatment of adult varicella with sorivudine: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: The antiviral and clinical efficacy of sorivudine in adults with varicella was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. A total of 186 patients were hospitalized for isolation and treatment within 96 h of rash onset. The diagnosis of varicella was confirmed in 184 patients with paired sera. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 10 or 40 mg of sorivudine or an identical placebo once a day for 5 days. Treatment with 40 mg of sorivudine (compared with placebo) shortened the mean time to 100% crusting from 6.6 to 5.8 days (P = .004) and reduced the mean days that new lesion formed from 3.9 to 3.1 (P = .014). Mean days of cutaneous viral shedding were reduced from 3.3 in the placebo group to 2.6 in the 40-mg sorivudine group (P = .002). The effectiveness of therapy was not affected by the duration of rash before initiation of therapy. Sorivudine is a promising new agent for the treatment of varicella-zoster virus infections.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Investigation Dept., Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA 92134-5000, USA.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chamberlin
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Arvin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harkins
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: LaRocco
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Colopy
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bowler
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Oldfield
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001086:Arabinofuranosyluracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D008297:Male; D010919:Placebos; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D010919:Placebos; D001086:Arabinofuranosyluracil; C031368:sorivudine