Vanquishing a Virus: New drugs attack herpes infections
By John Travis
Best known for intermittently producing embarrassing sores on the mouth and genitals, herpes simplex virus (HSV) is more dangerous than most people realize. The virus can blind and even kill people with weak immune systems, such as newborns, elderly people, and AIDS patients.
By targeting one of the virus’ enzymes, two pharmaceutical companies have now independently identified a new class of drugs that stop HSV from replicating.
Scientists rate the compounds as the most promising antiherpes agents developed in 3 decades. Surprisingly, however, there are no current plans to test the experimental drugs in people.