Aciclovir, also known as acyclovir,[4] is an antiviral medication.[5] It is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, chickenpox, and shingles.[6] Other uses include prevention of cytomegalovirus infections following transplant and severe complications of Epstein–Barr virus infection.[6][7] It can be taken by mouth, applied as a cream, or injected.[6]
Common side effects include nausea and diarrhea.[6] Potentially serious side effects include kidney problems and low platelets.[6] Greater care is recommended in those with poor liver or kidney function.[6] It is generally considered safe for use in pregnancy with no harm having been observed.[6][8] It appears to be safe during breastfeeding.[9][10] Aciclovir is a nucleoside analogue that mimics guanosine.[6] It works by decreasing the production of the virus's DNA.[6]
Aciclovir was patented in 1974 by Burroughs Wellcome, and approved for medical use in 1981.[11] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[12][13] It is available as a generic medication and is marketed under many brand names worldwide.[1] In 2021, it was the 169th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 3million prescriptions.[14][15]
^ ab"Aciclovir". Drugs.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
^"Skin health". Health Canada. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
^ ab"Zovirax (acyclovir) dosing, indications, interactions, adverse effects, and more". Medscape Reference. WebMD. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
^Kevin ES. "The Aciclovir" (in German). Kevin. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
^de Clercq E, Field HJ (5 October 2005). "Antiviral prodrugs – the development of successful prodrug strategies for antiviral chemotherapy". British Journal of Pharmacology. Vol. 147, no. 1. Wiley-Blackwell (published January 2006). pp. 1–11. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706446. PMC 1615839. PMID 16284630.
^ abcdefghi"Acyclovir". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved Jan 1, 2015.
^Rafailidis PI, Mavros MN, Kapaskelis A, Falagas ME (November 2010). "Antiviral treatment for severe EBV infections in apparently immunocompetent patients". Journal of Clinical Virology. 49 (3): 151–157. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2010.07.008. PMID 20739216.
^"Prescribing medicines in pregnancy database". Australian Government. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
^Hamilton R (2015). Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2015 Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning. p. 59. ISBN 9781284057560.
^"Acyclovir use while Breastfeeding". Mar 10, 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016. Even with the highest maternal dosages, the dosage of acyclovir in milk is only about 1% of a typical infant dosage and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants
^Fischer J, Ganellin CR (2006). Analogue-based Drug Discovery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 504. ISBN 9783527607495.
^World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
^World Health Organization (2021). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/345533. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
^"The Top 300 of 2021". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^"Acyclovir - Drug Usage Statistics". ClinCalc. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
Aciclovir, also known as acyclovir, is an antiviral medication. It is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, chickenpox...
appears to be safe. It is a prodrug, which works after being converted to aciclovir in a person's body. Valaciclovir was patented in 1987 and came into medical...
help with the symptoms. Treatments with antiviral medication such as aciclovir or valaciclovir can lessen the severity of symptomatic episodes. Worldwide...
those at increased risk of complications, antiviral medication such as aciclovir is recommended. Chickenpox occurs in all parts of the world. In 2013,...
occurs, its severity. If shingles develops, antiviral medications such as aciclovir can reduce the severity and duration of disease if started within 72 hours...
For herpes the treatment of choice is aciclovir. If encephalitis is suspected, empiric treatment with IV aciclovir is often warranted. Surgical management...
daily, in contrast to aciclovir, valaciclovir and other antivirals. A study has found that it is more effective than aciclovir, but this has been disputed...
other nucleoside analogues, such as the more widely used aciclovir. A difference between aciclovir and penciclovir is that the active triphosphate form of...
stems what drug class the drug belongs to. For example, one can tell that aciclovir is an antiviral drug because its name ends in the -vir suffix. The earliest...
used its power to mandate a warning on fluoroquinolones, ceftriaxone, aciclovir, and pioglitazone. Health Canada terms its version of boxed warnings "serious...
Examples Type I Intracellular Type IA Therapeutic target tissues/cells Aciclovir, fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, diethylstilbestrol diphosphate, L-DOPA...
by herpes simplex viruses, can be serious and requires treatment with aciclovir. Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease caused...
nucleoside analogues are aciclovir for Herpes simplex virus infections and lamivudine for HIV and hepatitis B virus infections. Aciclovir is one of the oldest...
Intravenous aciclovir, can be used to prevent viral replication, and in the event of persistent lymphocytic pleocytosis, higher doses of aciclovir can also...
cytomegalovirus retinitis. Cidofovir has also shown efficacy in the treatment of aciclovir-resistant HSV infections. Cidofovir has also been investigated as a treatment...
manufactured by Wellcome in 1987 in Kent; they also introduced Zovirax (aciclovir), and the naturally occurring digoxin, a cardiac glycoside. After a plane...
of herpetic uveitis, anti-viral medications, such as valaciclovir or aciclovir, may be administered to treat the causative viral infection. Uveitis affects...
there, and Foreman suggests melioidosis. They start her on an IV drip and aciclovir, which works, until she starts gasping. Thirteen suggests polyserositis...
zalcitabine (ddC)(HIV) guanosine and deoxyguanosine analogues: abacavir (HIV) aciclovir entecavir (hepatitis B) thymidine and deoxythymidine analogues: stavudine...
results from inability of the corneal epithelium to heal. But on the viral aciclovir eye ointment q.i.d can be used together a systemic antiviral drug t.d...
in the same way as a cold sore, with topical antiviral drugs such as aciclovir. 22% of cases of angular cheilitis are due to irritants. Saliva contains...
[citation needed] It can be treated with systemic antiviral drugs, such as aciclovir or valganciclovir. Foscarnet may also be used for immunocompromised host...
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