A New Topical Treatment for Resistant Herpes Simplex Infections

Abstract

For persistent mucocutaneous infections due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) in immunosuppressed patients, acyclovir is the drug of choice¹. Foscarnet is an alternative agent,^2,3 but it too may lead to resistance. A new approach to the therapy of HSV infections is based on the use of an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate, (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine (HPMPC), a potent and selective inhibitor of various DNA viruses, including HSV types 1 and 2 and thymidine kinase-deficient mutants of HSV^4,5.