Electrically charged acyclovir speeds herpes healing
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A device that uses “iontophoresis” to enhance tissue penetration of topically applied acyclovir speeds the healing of cold sores, a study shows.
Iontophoresis refers to the use of a small electric current to move ionized substances through the skin into tissues.
“The results of this study are very exciting because of the timing of treatment,” Dr. Dennis I. Goldberg from Transport Pharmaceuticals, Framingham, Massachusetts told Reuters Health.
“Since patients were required to set up an appointment and then come into the clinic, treatment was delayed for up to 24 hours after first signs and symptoms. In spite of that, the results were extremely encouraging,” Goldberg explained.
The Iontophoretic Acyclovir Cold Sore Study Group tested Transport Pharmaceutical’s new handheld iontophoretic device in a clinical study to determine whether improved transdermal delivery of acyclovir translates into better efficacy in treating cold sores caused by herpes.
The pen-sized device generates a low-voltage weak electric current. It holds an acyclovir reservoir on its head electrode, which is then applied to the cold sore as the patient holds hydrogel electrodes on the device to complete the circuit.
The study involved 200 patients experiencing a herpes outbreak who were randomly assigned to use the device with either acyclovir cream or placebo cream.
A single 10-minute treatment was associated with an increased frequency of aborted lesions (46 percent versus 24 percent in the placebo group), the authors report, but this difference was apparent only in subjects who received treatment when only redness was present.
The frequency of aborted lesions did not differ among patients who already had a lesion or edema (swelling).
The median time to healing was shortened by 71 hours in the group treated at the redness stage and by 35 hours in the group treated at the lesion/edema stage, and the latter difference was not statistically significant.
Among the 17 side effects in the active treatment group and the 19 side effects in the placebo treatment group, the most common was a mild electrical sensation that required no treatment, the researchers note.
SOURCE: Clinical Infectious Diseases August 15, 2006.
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