REPLY
Effects of Famciclovir in Acute Herpes Zoster
Stephen K. Tyring, MD, PhD
15 April 1996 | Volume 124 Issue 8 | Page 775
IN RESPONSE:
The investigators and the institutional review boards of the 36 participating centers in the United States, Canada, and Australia considered the study design to be both ethical and acceptable. Our first patient received study medication in November 1990, shortly after acyclovir had been approved for the short-term treatment of herpes zoster without documented effect on postherpetic neuralgia (April 1990). In contrast, as stated in our report, famciclovir significantly reduced the time to resolution of postherpetic neuralgia (a prospectively defined end point) in the overall sample, as well as in patients 50 years of age or older, who are at greatest risk for developing postherpetic neuralgia. Finally, as Dr. Tirelli acknowledges, we clearly stated the lack of benefit from famciclovir for patients younger than 50 years of age. We felt no need to further stress a result that was neither particularly surprising nor in conflict with existing thinking about treating herpes zoster in persons younger than 50 years of age.
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Author and Article Information
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 Author & Article Info
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University of Texas Medical Branch; Galveston, TX 77555
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