Comparative studies of inosine pranobex and acyclovir.

A total of 77 patients with first-attack genital herpes received acyclovir, 400 mg four times per day, inosine pranobex, 1 g four times per day, or both drugs for seven days. Patients treated with acyclovir healed in a shorter time and had a shorter duration of viral shedding and symptoms than those treated with inosine pranobex. Neither acyclovir nor inosine pranobex had any effect on the time to first occurrence or the frequency of subsequent recurrences. Preliminary results from two trials suggest that suppressive acyclovir is more efficacious than inosine pranobex in patients with frequently recurring genital herpes.