A Herpes Med Fights HIV Too?

HIV-positive women coinfected with herpes simplex who were treated with the medication valacyclovir had reduced levels of HIV, according to a new study. Nicolas Nagot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and colleagues found that treating herpes simplex 2 infections with valacyclovir reduced levels of HIV-1 RNA in both the blood plasma and the genital mucosa, with the latter being more significant. The effect grew stronger over the three months of review. The study, 'Reduction of HIV-1 RNA Levels With Therapy to Suppress Herpes Simplex Virus,' appeared in the February 22 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.