A new anti-viral cream has been shown to shorten outbreaks of recurrent cold sores and to ease the pain the stubborn sores cause. The drug, penciclovir, is the first treatment for cold sores around the mouth (known as recurrent herpes labialis) that definitely speeds healing of the lesions, say University of Utah researchers.
Cold sores, caused by the herpes simplex virus, affect about 20 percent of adults and usually last seven or eight days.The Utah investigators compared the effectiveness of pen-ci-clo-vir, sold as Denavir, and an inactive placebo cream in a total of 1,573 patients. The sores treated with penciclovir healed nearly a day faster, pain went away sooner, and the virus disappeared from their blood more quickly.
Researchers said it wasn't necessary to apply the cream in the earliest stages of the cold sore for the treatment to work. Denavir, approved earlier this year, requires a prescription.
- Richard Saltus