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Medical News Herpes Drug Reduces TransmissionSeptember 30, 2002 A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! People with genital herpes who worry about passing the virus to others should be offered a prescription drug, Valtrex, that has been shown for the first time to reduce transmission, a researcher says. Valtrex is already widely used to treat and prevent flare-ups of genital herpes. A study released Friday at the San Diego meeting of the American Society of Microbiology shows that it also cuts in half the chance that patients will infect others through sexual contact. Dr. Lawrence Corey of the University of Washington conducted the four-year study on people with herpes simplex virus type 2, the primary cause of genital herpes, who were in monogamous relationships with uninfected partners. "It's a very important study, and it opens up the arena of treating discordant couples to prevent sexually transmitted disease," said Dr. Scott Hammer of Columbia University. "This is a nuisance disease, but it lays the groundwork for other, life-threatening diseases, such as HIV." In the latest study, doctors tested Valtrex -- known generically as valacyclovir -- on 1,484 couples in which one partner had recurring flare-ups with type 2 herpes and the other was not infected. The volunteers were randomly given either Valtrex or a placebo, offered advice on using condoms and then followed for eight months. Two percent of those taking Valtrex passed on the virus to their partners, compared with 4 percent on the placebo. The treatment nearly eliminated herpes symptoms in the partners, even if they caught the virus. Just half of 1 percent of those whose infected partners took Valtrex got herpes sores, compared with 2 percent in the comparison group. Back to other CDC news for September 30, 2002 Associated Press 09.29.02; Daniel Q. Haney A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information!  This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update. Visit the CDC's website to find out more about their activities, publications and services.
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