Topical treatment of recurrent genital herpes infections with foscarnet

Abstract

In a double-blind study 86 patients with a total of 129 episodes of recurrent genital herpes were treated topically with 0.3% foscarnet or placebo cream. All patients considered, healing time was significantly shortened in the foscarnet group as compared to the placebo group (p less than 0.01). Subgrouped by sex, the healing time among men treated with foscarnet was significantly shortened as compared to those treated with placebo (p less than 0.002), whereas no statistical significant difference was observed among women. Foscarnet treated men with subpreputial lesions had a shorter period of ulcers (1.7 days) than placebo (3.4 days) treated men (p less than 0.02). Overall, foscarnet treatment reduced the period of redness, swelling, blisters and ulcers. Foscarnet was well tolerated, only in 1/57 patients treated was a moderate local adverse reaction recorded.