Beech Tree Labs' Oral Herpes Trial Begins

Beech Tree Labs, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1/2a clinical evaluation of its novel therapeutic agent for treating recurrent oral herpes infections. This FDA-approved study is a 210 patient, multi-site, placebo-controlled trial of its agent BTL-TML-HSV.

“While our initial clinical focus in on oral herpes, we have evidence that suggests our patented agent may address a broad range of herpesvirus indications.”
According to WHO and CDC statistics, over 80 percent of the population have oral herpes with about 20 percent of these expressing symptoms. In addition, one of four adults has genital herpes, with the incidence steadily increasing. Treatment options for herpes are limited.

General Infectious Disease

Oral anti-viral medications are associated with a reduced risk of recurring eye disease caused by herpes simplex virus, researchers found.
In a retrospective analysis of patient data covering a period of 32 years, those not taking prophylactic anti-viral drugs had a markedly increased risk of epithelial keratitis, stromal keratitis, blepharitis, or conjunctivitis, according to Keith Baratz, MD, and colleagues at the Mayo Clinics in Rochester, Minn., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Patients who experienced a serious adverse outcome of the herpes infection -- such as loss of vision -- were only rarely taking prophylactic drugs, Baratz and colleagues reported in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Getting Tested for Herpes

Does testing positive for herpes mean you will inevitably have outbreaks? Does a positive herpes test result always mean you can spread genital herpes to others? These are among the questions raised by readers of the Consults blog. Dr. Peter Leone, associate professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Public Health, addresses testing for the two types of herpes simplex virus: HSV-2, the main cause of genital herpes, and HSV-1, responsible for most cases of oral herpes, or cold sores.

Herpes Drugs May Be Safe in Early Pregnancy

Taking certain antiviral medications for herpes infections during the first three months of pregnancy does not increase a child's risk of major birth defects, researchers report in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir are often prescribed to treat herpes viral infections, such as herpes simplex virus (HSV). More than one in five pregnant women have antibodies in their blood to HSV, indicating a past or present infection.