Docosanol
Docosanol, also known as behenyl alcohol, is a saturated fatty alcohol used traditionally as an emollient, emulsifier, and thickener in cosmetics, and nutritional supplement (as an individual entity and also as a constituent of policosanol).
More recently, docosanol has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a pharmaceutical antiviral agent for reducing the duration of cold sores caused by the herpes simplex virus in the OTC medication Abreva.
Mechanism and history of antiviral drug usage
Docosanol is thought to act by inhibiting the fusion of the human host cell with the viral envelope of the herpes virus, thus preventing its replication. This mechanism has not been demonstrated empirically.
The drug was licensed as an oral herpes medicine after clinical trials by the FDA in July 2000. It was shown to shorten the healing by 17.5 hours on average (95% confidence interval: 2 to 22 hours) in a placebo-controlled trial. Another trial showed no effect when treating the infected backs of guinea pigs.
Podcasts:
