TREATMENT OF ADULT VARICELLA WITH SORIVUDINE - A RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL

The antiviral and clinical efficacy of sorivudine in adults with varic ella was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized tr ial. A total of 186 patients were hospitalized for isolation and treat ment within 96 h of rash onset. The diagnosis of varicella was confirm ed in 184 patients with paired sera. Patients were randomly assigned t o receive 10 or 40 mg of sorivudine or an identical placebo once a day for 5 days. Treatment with 40 mg of sorivudine (compared with placebo ) shortened the mean time to 100% crusting from 6.6 to 5.8 days (P = . 004) and reduced the mean days that new lesion formed from 3.9 to 3.1 (P = .014). Mean days of cutaneous viral shedding were reduced from 3. 3 in the placebo group to 2.6 in the 40-mg sorivudine group (P = .002) . The effectiveness of therapy was not affected by the duration of ras h before initiation of therapy. Sorivudine is a promising new agent fo r the treatment of varicella-zoster virus infections.