famciclovir / Generic mfg. - LARVOL DELTA

Varicella zoster virus infection. (PubMed, Nat Rev Dis Primers) - "VZV infection is treated with antiviral drugs including oral valacyclovir (drug of choice), famciclovir, acyclovir or amenamevir; for severe or disseminated disease, intravenous acyclovir or foscarnet (when other drugs fail) are used. Critical challenges remain in recognizing and diagnosing atypical presentations, developing novel therapeutics, establishing the causal role of VZV in vascular and neurodegenerative disease, and achieving broader vaccine implementation worldwide."

Journal • Review • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Herpes Zoster • Infectious Disease • Neuralgia • Pain • Varicella Zoster

Case Report: Presumed ocular tuberculosis masquerading as acute retinal necrosis: the diagnostic and therapeutic journey of an elderly female. (PubMed, Front Med (Lausanne)) - "Standard antiviral therapy (famciclovir, two intravitreal ganciclovir injections, and corticosteroids) failed to halt the progression. When a definitive diagnosis cannot be established, an ATT trial guided by indirect evidence such as a positive IGRA is a reasonable clinical option. It should be clarified that this trial only supports a presumptive diagnosis rather than a definitive diagnosis."

Journal • Herpes Simplex • Herpes Zoster • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases • Retinal Disorders • Tuberculosis • Uveitis • Varicella Zoster

Susceptibility of clinical isolates, laboratory-adapted and drug-resistant herpes simplex virus strains to helicase-primase inhibitor adibelivir (IM-250) and its synergy in combination therapy with acyclovir, penciclovir and foscarnet. (PubMed, Antiviral Res) - "Current treatment relies on nucleoside analogs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir. Adibelivir retains activity against nucleoside-resistant HSV strains and exhibits synergistic antiviral effects when combined with acyclovir, penciclovir and foscarnet in vitro. These results support clinical evaluation of adibelivir as a therapeutic option for HSV infections and as a candidate for combination therapy."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Herpes Simplex • Infectious Disease • Transplantation

Treatment of Persistent Erythema Multiforme with Upadacitinib (CDA 2026) - "The patient had inadequate (or non-sustained) treatment response with oral prednisone, oral valacyclovir, oral dapsone, adalimumab, topical halobetasol ointment, oral viscous lidocaine, chlorhexidine mouth rinses, and oral dexamethasone rinses...Adalimumab was discontinued, and she sustained excellent response on upadacitinib and famciclovir... Persistent EM is a rare subtype of EM with treatment resistant disease and chronic flares, and potentially more atypical lesions. Given failure of multiple other therapies, our patient was started on upadacitinib, a JAK inhibitor, with rapid and sustained improvement. It is postulated that JAK inhibitors are effective in PEM due to inhibition of IFN- γ and IL-15, which decreases cytotoxic response against keratinocytes."

Dermatology • Hidradenitis Suppurativa • Immunology • IL15

Association between the use of anti-herpetic drugs and subsequent initiation of Alzheimer's disease drug treatment: Dutch population-based inception cohort study. (PubMed, BMJ Open) - "AHD exposure was consistently associated with markedly lower risk of AD treatment initiation, with similar findings observed in recent years. These findings support the hypothesis that herpesvirus reactivation may contribute to AD pathogenesis and suggest antiviral therapy could have preventive implications. Confirmation through prospective studies and randomised trials is needed."

Journal • Retrospective data • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Dementia

Repurposing Purine Analog Antivirals to Modulate Serum Uric Acid: Evidence From Real-World Data. (PubMed, Clin Transl Sci) - "Cyclovir antivirals (acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir) are guanine nucleoside analogues that function as alternative substrates for GD and may influence urate production through substrate-level interactions. Cyclovir antiviral exposure was associated with modest reductions in serum uric acid in two independent real-world populations. Further mechanistic and prospective studies are warranted to clarify the role of GD and related pathway components in urate regulation."

Journal • Real-world evidence • Retrospective data • Herpes Simplex • Infectious Disease

Herpes zoster mimicking sciatica: A diagnostic pitfall in immunocompetent middle-aged adult with low back pain. (PubMed, IDCases) - "Treatment with oral famciclovir resulted in rapid symptomatic improvement...It also highlights how cognitive biases-such as anchoring to a musculoskeletal cause and framing by the primary dermatological complaint-can impede diagnostic reasoning. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for HZ in patients with unilateral radicular pain and remain vigilant against cognitive pitfalls to ensure timely antiviral intervention."

Journal • Atopic Dermatitis • Back Pain • Dermatology • Herpes Zoster • Immunology • Lumbar Back Pain • Musculoskeletal Diseases • Musculoskeletal Pain • Pain • Varicella Zoster

Facial-Stapedial Synkinesis Following Ramsay Hunt Syndrome: A Case Report. (PubMed, J Audiol Otol) - "We performed magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and serial audiometric testing, and administered pharmacological treatment, including prednisone and famciclovir, for the initial infection, followed by stapedial tendon tenotomy for the definitive management of FSS. FSS should be considered in patients presenting with persistent auditory symptoms after facial paralysis. Stapedial tendon tenotomy is an effective treatment option for patients with severe refractory symptoms."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Herpes Zoster • Infectious Disease • Varicella Zoster

Drugs for sexually transmitted infections. (PubMed, Med Lett Drugs Ther) - No abstract available

Journal • Infectious Disease

Efficacy and Safety of Brivudine in the Treatment of Herpes Zoster (ChiCTR) - P=N/A | N=140 | Sponsor: Peking University Third Hospital; Peking University Third Hospital

New trial • Herpes Zoster • Varicella Zoster

Mechanistic insights into plasmid transfer inhibition in Enterobacterales by nucleoside analogues. (PubMed, NPJ Antimicrob Resist) - "Alongside the known inhibitor azidothymidine (AZT), didanosine, stavudine, and trifluridine reduced plasmid conjugation in both species without affecting growth. Conversely, famciclovir and zalcitabine promoted pCTgfp conjugation in E. coli, while aciclovir and valaciclovir enhanced pKpQILgfp conjugation in K. pneumoniae...The exogenous addition of zinc acetate to inhibit RecA or the end product of methionine metabolism, S-adenosyl-methionine, restored pKpQILgfp conjugation in K. pneumoniae. Overall, our results indicated that existing NAs, including AZT, represent structural scaffolds for the development of potent conjugation inhibitors and highlight motility, DNA repair, and methionine metabolism as potential key factors in plasmid conjugation."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Pneumonia

Differentiating Verrucous Herpes from Neoplastic Processes (AAD 2026) - "Treatment typically includes antiviral medications such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, although some patients might need intralesional or surgical treatment. Patients in an immunocompromised state may not respond to standard anti-herpetic agents such as acyclovir, thus possibly needing escalation of treatment. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis when evaluating cutaneous lesions in immunocompromised patients."

Herpes Simplex • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • Squamous Cell Carcinoma • CD4

Effect of famciclovir combined with nerve block on acute pain in patients with herpes zoster. (PubMed, Am J Transl Res) - "The combination of famciclovir and nerve block therapy substantially improves pain relief, reduces inflammatory responses, and enhances clinical outcome without increasing the risk of adverse events."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Herpes Zoster • Insomnia • Neuralgia • Oncology • Pain • Sleep Disorder • Varicella Zoster • CRP • IL6 • TNFA

A Short Review and Update on Epidemiology, Treatment, and Management of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) Infection. (PubMed, Curr Pharm Des) - "However, only a few antivirals, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, valacyclovir, amenamevir, and brivudine, have clinical licenses for the treatment of HZ. This article reviews the etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, evaluation, and available treatments and vaccines for the management of HZ infection, using articles and reviews available in public databases to date (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and manual searches of Google Scholar). In addition, the differences in safety and effectiveness between the antivirals that are currently licensed for the treatment of HZ, the potential use of novel antivirals in the future for treating HZ, and the antivirals' therapeutic or preventive effects on ZAP or PHN are also discussed."

Journal • Herpes Zoster • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Neuralgia • Pain • Varicella Zoster

Antiviral Treatment of Herpes Simplex Virus Decreases the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. (PubMed, J Drugs Dermatol) - "Antiviral therapy for oral or mucocutaneous HSV was associated with a 13% to 17% reduction in risk for AD and dementia. These findings suggest that early antiviral management of HSV infections may represent a feasible preventive strategy against neurodegenerative disease, meriting prospective confirmation. &nbsp."

Journal • Alzheimer's Disease • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Cognitive Disorders • Dementia • Diabetes • Herpes Simplex • Hypertension • Infectious Disease • Metabolic Disorders

Efficacy and Safety of Brivudine in the Treatment of Herpes Zoster (clinicaltrials.gov) - P4 | N=140 | Recruiting | Sponsor: Peking University Third Hospital | Not yet recruiting ➔ Recruiting

Enrollment open • Herpes Zoster • Varicella Zoster

Anti-herpetic treatment reduces dementia risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (PubMed, J Alzheimers Dis) - "Eligible studies evaluated anti-herpetic medications (e.g., acyclovir, famciclovir, ganciclovir, valacyclovir, valganciclovir) and dementia risk in non-demented adults aged ≥50. To demonstrate the effects of anti-herpetic medications in various clinical scenarios, the meta-analysis compared: diagnosed and treated versus diagnosed but untreated (aHR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.67-0.89); treated versus untreated regardless of diagnosis (aHR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.87-0.94); and diagnosed and treated versus neither diagnosed nor treated (aHR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.78-0.97). Subgroup analysis and meta-regression identified infection severity as a significant modifier (p < 0.0001), explaining 89.01% of heterogeneity.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis reveals notable protective effect of anti-herpetic medication usage on dementia, and the effect is especially pronounced in patients with severe alpha herpesvirus infections."

Journal • Retrospective data • Review • Alzheimer's Disease • CNS Disorders • Dementia • Herpes Simplex • Herpes Zoster • Infectious Disease • Varicella Zoster

Study protocol for a multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-arm, multi-stage, trial of SpironolacTone and famciclOovir in the treatment of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis to prevent disability progression: the STOP-MS trial. (PubMed, BMJ Neurol Open) - P3 | "The SpironolacTone and famciclOvir in the treatment of Progressive MS to prevent disability progression (STOP-MS) trial has been developed to assess anti-EBV therapies in the treatment of progressive MS. In stage 2, the primary outcome measure will be 6-month confirmed disability progression analysed using Cox-proportional hazards. The STOP-MS trial has been acknowledged by the Therapeutics Goods Administration under the Clinical Trial Notification scheme (CT-2023-CTN-03 505-1) and is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12623000849695)."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections • Multiple Sclerosis

Nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma with concurrent myocardial and central nervous system involvement: A rare case report. (PubMed, Medicine (Baltimore)) - "This case underscores that in patients with stage III or IV NK/T-cell lymphoma, lymphoma invasion should be the primary suspicion when cardiac or CNS abnormalities arise. Our case emphasizes the imperative for heightened clinical vigilance, prompt imaging and tailored treatment strategies are critical to potentially improve survival in such advanced cases."

Journal • CNS Lymphoma • Gastrointestinal Disorder • Hematological Malignancies • Lymphoma • Natural Killer/T-cell Lymphoma • Oncology • T Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Combination drug therapy as a strategy to improve the efficacy and safety of treatment of herpes simplex virus infections: potential risks and prospects. (PubMed, Vopr Virusol) - "Standard treatment with acyclovir, penciclovir, or the corresponding prodrugs valacyclovir and famciclovir is usually sufficient to stop recurrent HSV infections. When combining drugs that affect the pathogen in different ways, it is important to maintain the therapeutic effect with the use of lower doses due to the synergistic nature of the interaction, which reduces the likelihood of developing unwanted side effects of drugs. The review presents current data on the state and possible prospects for the development of combination therapy for HSV infections, obtained as a result of searching the literature related to anti-herpetical therapy using the PubMed, Medline databases, RSCI, the international registry of clinical trials of the US National Institutes of Health."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Herpes Simplex • Infectious Disease • Ophthalmology

Ocular tolerance and tear film pharmacokinetics of 1 % penciclovir cream in cats. (PubMed, Res Vet Sci) - "While oral famciclovir is effective, its use is limited by poor bioavailability and compliance challenges...In the second study, tear fluid samples collected over 24 h revealed that penciclovir concentrations remained above the minimal inhibitory concentration (0.30 μg/ml) for FHV-1 for over 8 h on average, with a terminal half-life of 8.75 h. These findings indicate that Fenlips® is well tolerated and achieves pharmacologically relevant concentrations in the tear film, supporting its potential use as a twice-daily topical treatment for herpetic keratoconjunctivitis in cats."

Journal • PK/PD data • Conjunctivitis • Dry Eye Disease • Ocular Infections • Ocular Inflammation • Ophthalmology

Efficacy of Combination and Single Therapy in Bell's Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (PubMed, World J Plast Surg) - "Combination therapy (corticosteroid and antiviral) is significantly more effective than single corticosteroid therapy. Among the antiviral agents, famciclovir, valacyclovir, and acyclovir demonstrated the highest efficacy in combination with corticosteroids."

Journal • Retrospective data • Review • CNS Disorders

Ruvidar®-An Effective Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus Agent. (PubMed, Viruses) - "Currently, effective FDA approved anti-herpetic drugs include acyclovir and later-generation derivatives (valacyclovir and famciclovir), which inhibit viral DNA synthesis...In these experiments, we evaluated the ability of Ruvidar® to restrict HSV-1 replication in Vero cells, both by itself and in combination with acyclovir and metformin in the absence of light activation to mimic deep tissue...We also discovered additive and synergistic anti-HSV-1 effects when combinational therapy was tested. Ruvidar® also restricted HSV-1 replication in human U251 glioblastoma astrocytoma cells, remained highly effective against acyclovir-resistant HSV-1 mutants, and protected infected cells from virus-induced cytopathology."

Journal • Astrocytoma • Brain Cancer • Glioblastoma • Herpes Simplex • Oncology • Solid Tumor

Viral Infections of the Vulva: A Narrative Review. (PubMed, Life (Basel)) - "First-line treatments like oral acyclovir/famciclovir for HSV and topical imiquimod or podophyllotoxin (±cryotherapy) for HPV are supported by adjunctive measures for self-limiting conditions. Personalized, multidisciplinary management that combines prevention, precision diagnostics, tailored therapy, psychosocial support, and economic considerations offers the greatest promise for improving clinical and quality-of-life outcomes in patients with vulvar viral infections. We aim to outline best practices for the diagnosis and management of common vulvar viral infections, providing practical guidance for clinicians to improve recognition and therapeutic decision-making."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Dermatology • Infectious Disease • Pain • Pediatrics

Clinics in Dermatology: Herpes Simplex (Update on dermatological aspects of STD and HIV)NEED SOME PICTURES. (PubMed, Clin Dermatol) - "Antiviral suppression with aciclovir, valaciclovir or famciclovir is useful to treat initial painful episodes, or troublesome recurrent infection. Suppressive antiviral therapy, condoms, selective abstinence and disclosure to sexual partners have all been demonstrated to reduce the risk of transmission."

Journal • Dermatology • Herpes Simplex • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • Pain