title: [Antiherpetic chemotherapy].
abstract: Acyclovir has changed the concept of anti-herpetic chemotherapy by its mechanism of action and clinical efficacy. Idoxyuridine, vidarabine, and acyclovir have been used for herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus infection for two decades in Japan. Varaciclovir and famciclovir which are the prodrugs of acyclovir and penciclovir, respectively, will be added to the choice of anti-herpetic chemotherapy. This review introduces their mechanism of action and their comparative characteristics in chemotherapy, and the new development of anti-herpetic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiraki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents