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Uses of Zovirax

Zovirax Cream is indicated for the treatment of Herpes Simplex virus infections of the skin including initial and recurrent genital herpes and herpes labialis.

How to take Zovirax

Adults and Children: Zovirax Cream should be applied five times daily at approximately four hourly intervals, omitting the night time application. Treatment should be continued for 5 days. If, after 5 days, healing is not complete then treatment may be continued for up to an additional 5 days. Zovirax Cream should be applied to the lesion or impending lesion as early as possible after the start of an infection. It is particularly important to start treatment of recurrent episodes during the prodromal period or when lesions first appear.

Transient burning or stinging following application of Zovirax Cream may occur in some patients. Mild drying or flaking of the skin has occurred in about 5% of patients. Erythema and itching have been reported in a small proportion of patients.

Contact dermatitis has been reported rarely following application. Where sensitivity tests have been conducted the reactive substances have most often been shown to be components of the cream base rather than aciclovir

There have been very rare reports of immediate hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema with topical aciclovir.

Zovirax Cream is not recommended for application to mucous membranes such as in the mouth, eye or vagina, as it may be irritant. 

Particular care should be taken to avoid accidental introduction into the eye.

In severely immunocompromised patients (eg AIDS patients or bone marrow transplant recipients) oral Zovirax dosing should be considered. Such patients should be encouraged to consult a physician concerning the treatment of any infection. 

Largely reversible adverse effects on spermatogenesis in association with overall toxicity in rats and dogs have been reported only at doses of aciclovir greatly in excess of those employed therapeutically. 

Aciclovir was not found to be carcinogenic in long term studies in the rat and the mouse. Zovirax Cream contains a specially formulated base and should not be diluted or used as a base for the incorporation of other medicaments.

Probenecid increases the mean half-life and area under the plasma concentration curve of systemically administered aciclovir. However, this is likely to be of little relevance to the topical application of aciclovir.

No untoward effects would be expected if the entire contents of a Zovirax Cream 10 g tube containing 500 mg of aciclovir were ingested orally. Oral doses of 800 mg five times daily (4 g per day), have been administered for seven days without adverse effects. Single intravenous doses of up to 80 mg/kg have been inadvertently administered without adverse effects. Aciclovir is dialysable.

Store below 25ºC. Do not refrigerate.