WASHINGTON — Single-day famciclovir therapy was similar in safety and efficacy to a 3-day course of valacyclovir in the first head-to-head comparison of the two oral medications for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes.
Previous data showed that, when taken within 6 hours of symptom onset, single-day famciclovir (Famvir, 1,000 mg b.i.d.) increased the proportion of patients with aborted episodes from 13% to 23%, and reduced healing time and duration of symptoms by 2 days, vs. placebo (Clin. Infect. Dis. 2006;42:8-13).
Now, the findings of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study of 751 adults with recurrent genital herpes suggest that single-day famciclovir is as safe and effective as 3-day valacyclovir (Valtrex, 500 mg b.i.d.), Dr. Stephen Tyring said at the jointly held annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Patients had at least four outbreaks in the preceding 12 months, with positive herpes simplex virus serology. About two-thirds were female, and most had used suppressive therapy in the previous 12 months. Of 1,179 randomized patients, 751 started the study medication within 6 hours of their next recurrence and were included in the analysis.
The proportion of patients with aborted lesions in the intent-to-treat population was 32.7% among 370 famciclovir patients and 33.6% among 381 valacyclovir patients. Time to healing of nonaborted lesions was 4.25 days with single-day famciclovir and 4.08 days with 3-day valacyclovir, an insignificant difference, said Dr. Tyring of the Center for Clinical Studies at Texas Medical Center, Houston.
About one-fifth of each group reported adverse events, including drug-related events in 11% with famciclovir and 9% with valacyclovir. Headache was the most common adverse event (8% with famciclovir and 4% with valacyclovir).
Dr. Tyring receives research funding and is on the speakers bureau for Novartis, which makes Famvir, and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Valtrex.