title: Brivudine: a herpes virostatic with rapid antiviral activity and once-daily dosing.
abstract: Brivudine is an analog of thymidine, and is incorporated into the viral DNA. It blocks the action of DNA polymerases, thus inhibiting viral replication. It has a stronger antiviral effect against the varicella-zoster virus compared with reference compounds such as aciclovir or penciclovir. The efficacy of brivudine has been documented in a number of clinical trials in patients with herpesvirus-related infections, particularly in patients with herpes-zoster. At a dose of 125 mg once daily, brivudine has proved to be superior to aciclovir with respect to reducing the period of new blister production in patients with herpes-zoster, and has shortened the duration of post-herpetic neuralgia. Tolerability was equivalent to that of aciclovir or placebo, with occasional gastrointestinal disorders leading to treatment withdrawal in a minority of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Information, Prous Science, S.A., PO Box 540, 08025 Barcelona, Spain. service@prous.com
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Rabasseda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; C020235:brivudine; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine