Objective: To evaluate the literature regarding short-course oral therapy for recurrent genital herpes.
Data sources: Literature was accessed through MEDLINE (1966-March 2003), IOWA Drug Information Service (1966-March 2003), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1966-March 2003).
Data synthesis: Data are available describing short-course (2 or 3 d) therapy with acyclovir and valacyclovir. Short-course acyclovir therapy was superior to placebo. Three- and 5-day regimens of valacyclovir were equivalent. Early initiation of therapy may be more important than duration of therapy.
Conclusions: More head-to-head studies are needed to determine the most efficacious and cost-effective short-course regimens for recurrent genital herpes.