Treatment for herpes simplex virus-1 and -2 (HSV-1 and -2) patients who suffer from recurrent outbreaks consists of multiple daily\ndoses of the antiviral drugs acyclovir (ACV), penciclovir, or their more orally bioavailable derivatives valacyclovir or famciclovir.\nDrug troughs caused by missed doses may result in viral replication, which can generate drug-resistant mutants along with\nclinical sequelae. We developed a molecularly homogeneous mixture of ACV with the bioerodable polymer polycaprolactone.\nThrough scanning electronmicroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, 1HNMR, and differential scanning\ncalorimetry, ourmethod of combining drug and polymer, termedVolatile Acid-Solvent Evaporation (VASE), does not compromise\nthe integrity of polymer or drug. Furthermore, VASE creates materials that deliver therapeutic amounts of drug consistently for\napproximately two months. Devices with high enough drug loads diminish primary infection of HSV-1 in Vero cells to the same\nlevel as seen with a single dose of ACV. Our data will lead to further experiments in animal models, demonstrating efficacy in\npreventing reactivation of these viruses with a single intervention, and with other antiviral drugs amenable to such manipulation.\nAdditionally, this type of treatment would leave no trace after its useful lifetime, as drug is released and polymer matrix is degraded\nin vivo.
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