Effective Drug Cocktail To Prevent spreading HSV Near 100% Discussion

[vzhe]

Here's some promising data on preventing symptomatic disease: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famciclovir#Early_treatment 

Quote

 

"Several studies in humans and mice provide evidence that early treatment with famciclovir soon after the first infection with herpes can significantly lower the chance of future outbreaks. Use of famciclovir in this manner has been shown to reduce the amount of latent virus in the neural ganglia compared to no treatment or treatment with valaciclovir. A review of human subjects treated for five days with famciclovir 250 mg three times daily during their first herpes episode found that only 4.2 percent experienced a recurrence within six months after the first outbreak, a fivefold decrease compared to the 19 percent recurrence in acyclovir-treated patients."

 

If you gave a partner without HSV Amenamevir + Famciclovir right around the time of intercourse, you'd probably dramatically decrease the risk of them getting infected symptomatically. (the studies above talk about treatment within 24 hours. but sooner or even before is better!)

Famciclovir alone would also already do a lot, but Helicase-Primase Inhibitors should work even better (because they are active in all cells, not just infected cells).

Wish we could fund a study into this.

[undertsun]

Well, i knew there was studies showing efficacy in treating with acyclovir prior to infection, but they were conducted in mice, its nice to see something done in humans because it reinforces the idea of a functional cure for us. Nanoparticles targeting viral DNA will certainly do the job.

The news is great for those HSV-free partners!

[vzhe]

Well, we still need to do studies! How do we get those funded?

[Trace67]

Antivirals don't work on their own. They depend on the immune system to help which is the reason that people with herpes still have outbreaks on antivirals. This is sometimes mistaken for resistance but its actually the persons immune system not working correctly. Your uninfected partner will not have an immune system primed for herpes so you can see the issue with that. It's best to make sure you're not shedding but yeah it might make their symptoms much better if the antivirals were taken long enough before and after sex. The day of and day after might not cut it so dont expect this to be an option for one night stands or new relationships. Better to look for a cure I think. Because of the risk, I doubt you'd get far with this.

[vzhe]

of course the immune system is needed. but to get symptomatic HSV requires a certain threshold of PFU / ml. By reducing viral replication effectiveness you can further push that number down. the ideal scenario isn't that the person doesn't become HSV positive, but that they become infected to such a low degree that they are immune, symptom free, and unable to infect others. This scenario becomes a lot more likely with both partners on drugs than with only one partner on drugs.

[Trace67]

Yes, I know, but I doubt anyone is going to fund that or that doctors and insurance would go for it. You'll have to take both drugs yourself and wear a condom for max protection. I'm not sure I'd even want to ask a partner to take two drugs. Perhaps, one day in the future if they come out with some other single pill that will protect them, but they will probably have a vaccine or cure by the time that happens, so it doesn't matter.

 

The notion that they become infected but unable to infect others is fantasy. They would always be contagious forever even if their shedding was at a lower rate as that could change at any time without notice and no one would know. This person could never leave you for another relationship and claim to be infected but noncontagious.

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by Trace67

[vzhe]

13 hours ago, Trace67 said:

Yes, I know, but I doubt anyone is going to fund that or that doctors and insurance would go for it. You'll have to take both drugs yourself and wear a condom for max protection. I'm not sure I'd even want to ask a partner to take two drugs. Perhaps, one day in the future if they come out with some other single pill that will protect them, but they will probably have a vaccine or cure by the time that happens, so it doesn't matter.

 

The notion that they become infected but unable to infect others is fantasy. They would always be contagious forever even if their shedding was at a lower rate as that could change at any time without notice and no one would know. This person could never leave you for another relationship and claim to be infected but noncontagious.

 

 

That's not true. There's a threshold below which shedding doesn't occur. Right now, only about 30% of asymptomatic people with antibodies shed at all.

[Trace67]

3 hours ago, vzhe said:

That's not true. There's a threshold below which shedding doesn't occur. Right now, only about 30% of asymptomatic people with antibodies shed at all.

The point is that you will never guarantee that it goes the way you want it to. Most likely, people will become infected and be capable of spreading it. Not a good way to go but good luck with it.