[Recurrent herpes simplex. The situation in the United States]

Abstract

At present, there is no drug marketed in the United States for the treatment of herpes simplex, except for idoxuridine for the treatment of herpetic keratitis. The recent enthusiasm for the use of heterocyclice fluorescent dyes in conjunction with exposure to light (photodynamic inactivation) has diminished, and the efficacy of all available topical measures is being questioned. Of the numerous antiviral drugs being investigated, the following seem to show promise: idoxuridine, adenin arabinoside, trifluorothymidine, phosphonoacetic acid, and ribavirin. There are no vaccines available. Measures to stimulate immune response concern the use of levamisole hydrochloride, Interferon, Inosiplex and Transfer factor. Only adenine arabinoside will be available in the near future, and then only to serious life threatening infections. The marketing of other medications is several years in the future.