Antiviral drug reduces herpes transmission
A person infected with herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) can reduce the risk of genital herpes transmission to their partner by taking a single daily dose of valaciclovir (Valtrex), results from a new study show.
An international team of researchers followed 1,484 heterosexual couples
for eight months. One partner in each couple had symptomatic genital
HSV-2. The infected persons were randomly assigned to either 500mg valaciclovir
daily or placebo and their partners were evaluated each month for signs
and symptoms of HSV-2 infection.
The researchers found that the partners of those treated with the antiviral
drug were much less likely to become infected with HSV-2 than the partners
of those given placebo.
“The results were in addition to any effects that may have been
attributable to counselling or safer-sex practices used by the study
population,” say
the researchers.
At the end of the eight-month period, clinically symptomatic HSV-2 infection
had occurred in 16 of the partners of those given placebo compared with
4 of the partners of those who took valaciclovir. Couples who used condoms
and valaciclovir had the lowest transmission rate (New England Journal of Medicine 2004;350:11). |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal