title: Famciclovir for the treatment of recurrent genital and labial herpes lesions.
abstract: Famciclovir (Famvir, Novartis) is an effective treatment for herpes zoster and herpes simplex. Two separate studies recently examined the effectiveness of single high doses of famciclovir for treating recurrent genital herpes and labial herpes (cold sores). In the randomized, placebo-controlled studies, patients initiated treatment at the first onset of symptoms. For the treatment of genital herpes, a 1,000 mg b.i.d. dose of famciclovir had significant advantages over the placebo, reducing the time required to heal the lesions, preventing the development of lesions beyond the papule stage, and improving the time to resolution of all symptoms. For the treatment of labial herpes, a single 1,500 mg dose of famciclovir shortened the lesion healing time, shortened the time to normal skin, and resulted in faster resolution of pain and tenderness.
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, and Centre for Clinical Research, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Langley
mesh_terms: D015075:2-Aminopurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077595:Famciclovir; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D055502:Secondary Prevention
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015075:2-Aminopurine; D000077595:Famciclovir