Aciclovir (INN) (pronounced /e????sa??kl??v????r/) or acyclovir (USAN, former BAN), chemical name acycloguanosine, abbreviated as ACV, is a guanosine analogue antiviral drug, marketed under trade names such as Cyclovir, Herpex, Acivir, Acivirax(Mash-Premier), Zovirax, Aciclovir (Sanofi-Aventis) and Zovir (GSK). One of the most commonly-used antiviral drugs, it is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, as well as in the treatment of herpes zoster (shingles).
Aciclovir was seen as the start of a new era in antiviral therapy,[1] as it is extremely selective and low in cytotoxicity. Pharmacologist Gertrude B. Elion was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine, partly for the development of aciclovir. Dr. Richard Whitley, a University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher and pioneer in antiviral therapy, was the first to successfully use the drug in humans.
Clinical use:
Indications:Aciclovir is indicated for the treatment of HSV and VZV infections, including: Genital herpes simplex (treatment and prophylaxis)
- Herpes simplex labialis (cold sores)
- Herpes zoster (shingles)
- Acute chickenpox in immunocompromised patients
- Herpes simplex encephalitis
- Acute mucocutaneous HSV infections in immunocompromised patients
- Herpes simplex keratitis (ocular herpes)
- Herpes simplex blepharitis (not to be mistaken with ocular herpes)
- Bell's Palsy
200 mg, 400 mg, 800 mg