Oral famciclovir for the suppression of recurrent genital herpes: a randomized controlled trial. Collaborative Famciclovir Genital Herpes Research Group

Abstract

Context: Recurrent genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) may be treated episodically, but this may not be sufficient for patients with frequent recurrences.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of famciclovir in the suppression of recurrent genital HSV infection.

Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

Setting: Thirty university, hospital, or private outpatient referral centers in Canada and Europe.

Patients: A total of 455 patients (223 men, 232 women) aged 18 years or older with a history of 6 or more episodes of genital herpes during 12 of the most recent 24 months, in the absence of suppressive therapy, received study medication.

Intervention: Oral famciclovir, 125 mg or 250 mg 3 times daily or 250 mg twice daily, or placebo for 52 weeks.

Main outcome measures: Time to the first recurrence of genital HSV infection; the proportion of patients remaining free of HSV recurrence at 6 months; frequency of adverse events.

Results: In an intent-to-treat analysis, famciclovir significantly delayed the time to the first recurrence of genital herpes at all dose regimens (hazard ratios, 2.9-3.3; P<.001); median time to recurrence for famciclovir recipients was 222 to 336 days compared with 47 days for placebo recipients. The proportion of patients remaining free of HSV recurrence was approximately 3 times higher in famciclovir recipients (79%-86%) than in placebo recipients (27%) at 6 months (relative risks, 2.9-3.1; P<.001); efficacy was maintained at 12 months. Famciclovir was well tolerated with an adverse experience profile comparable to placebo.

Conclusions: Oral famciclovir (125 mg or 250 mg 3 times daily or 250 mg twice daily) is an effective, well-tolerated treatment for the suppression of genital HSV infection in patients with frequent recurrences.