docosanol
Place in Therapy
Place in Therapy
Docosanol is a long chain aliphatic alcohol that interferes with a virus’ ability to enter cells and to replicate within the cell nucleus(1). It does not have direct antiviral activity(1). Clinical trials have shown that early treatment with docosanol, which is defined as treatment initiated within 12 hours of initial prodromal symptoms or erythema, reduces the healing time and symptom duration of cold sores(2). A Phase III clinical trial of 743 subjects found that the average healing time with application of docosanol 10% cream 5 times daily was 4.08 days, compared to 4.80 days with placebo(2). In the same study, the average time for elimination of pain, burning, stinging, or tingling was 2.18 days with docosanol treatment versus 2.74 days with placebo(2).
Docosanol has been shown to have an excellent safety profile. When used as directed (5 applications daily for up to 10 days), docosanol 10% cream is well tolerated. In Phase III trials, the most commonly reported adverse effect was headache, which was reported by 5.9% of patients(2). However, there were no significant differences between the docosanol and placebo groups in terms of the rate of adverse events reported(1).
Bottom Line: Of the available over-the-counter treatments for cold sores, docosanol 10% cream should be considered first line therapy. Evidence shows that treatment with docosanol significantly reduces the healing time for cold sores as well as the duration of pain and other associated symptoms. Docosanol is a safe and effective treatment for cold sores.
References:
1. Triester NS and Woo SB. Topical n-docosanol for management of recurrent herpes labialis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010;11(5):853-860.
2. Leung DT and Sacks SL. Docosanol: A topical antiviral for herpes labialis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2004;5(12):2567-71.
3. Lexicomp. Docosanol. Updated 2014. Available from: http://online.lexi.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/lco/action/doc/retrieve/docid/patch_f/6776. Accessed July 17, 2014.
Docosanol is a long chain aliphatic alcohol that interferes with a virus’ ability to enter cells and to replicate within the cell nucleus(1). It does not have direct antiviral activity(1). Clinical trials have shown that early treatment with docosanol, which is defined as treatment initiated within 12 hours of initial prodromal symptoms or erythema, reduces the healing time and symptom duration of cold sores(2). A Phase III clinical trial of 743 subjects found that the average healing time with application of docosanol 10% cream 5 times daily was 4.08 days, compared to 4.80 days with placebo(2). In the same study, the average time for elimination of pain, burning, stinging, or tingling was 2.18 days with docosanol treatment versus 2.74 days with placebo(2).
Docosanol has been shown to have an excellent safety profile. When used as directed (5 applications daily for up to 10 days), docosanol 10% cream is well tolerated. In Phase III trials, the most commonly reported adverse effect was headache, which was reported by 5.9% of patients(2). However, there were no significant differences between the docosanol and placebo groups in terms of the rate of adverse events reported(1).
Bottom Line: Of the available over-the-counter treatments for cold sores, docosanol 10% cream should be considered first line therapy. Evidence shows that treatment with docosanol significantly reduces the healing time for cold sores as well as the duration of pain and other associated symptoms. Docosanol is a safe and effective treatment for cold sores.
References:
1. Triester NS and Woo SB. Topical n-docosanol for management of recurrent herpes labialis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010;11(5):853-860.
2. Leung DT and Sacks SL. Docosanol: A topical antiviral for herpes labialis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2004;5(12):2567-71.
3. Lexicomp. Docosanol. Updated 2014. Available from: http://online.lexi.com.proxy.lib.uwaterloo.ca/lco/action/doc/retrieve/docid/patch_f/6776. Accessed July 17, 2014.