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| |  Non-Prescription Abreva (Docosanol) Cream Shortens Cold Sore Healing Time PITTSBURGH, PA -- March 15, 2001 -- A new FDA-approved non-prescription treatment option, docosanol 10% cream, known commercially as Abreva™, has been shown to reduce the healing time and the duration of symptoms of cold sores in patients 12 years of age and older, according to a report published in the medical journal Today's Therapeutic Trends. Docosanol's effectiveness was proven in two large multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials with 370 patients being treated with docosanol and 367 patients being treated with placebo. "Patients who were treated with docosanol at the first sign of a tingle, redness, bump or itch, saw significant reductions in the duration of pain and/or burning, itching, or tingling; the time to complete healing of classical lesions and the cessation of the ulcer/soft crust stage," said Rick Barbarash, Pharm. D., F.C.C.P., a lead investigator of the study and executive director of Midwest Medical Research Consultants. "Docosanol is the only non-prescription agent that has been approved by the FDA and shown to reduce healing time and the duration of symptoms in patients with cold sores," he continued. "Other topical remedies may temporarily relieve cold sore symptoms, like pain, dryness and itching." An estimated 40 million American adults suffer from recurrent cold sores. Cold sore sufferers generally experience anywhere from two to 12 occurrences a year. Normally, cold sores progress when the cold sore infection spreads from infected cells to healthy ones. Abreva works by protecting healthy cells so the cold sore infection is less likely to penetrate those cells and helps the cold sore go away sooner. Stress, sunlight, extreme weather temperatures, fatigue and colds and flu are among common cold sore triggers. Abreva is the first and only non-prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to shorten the healing time of recurrent cold sores in healthy adults. It is a smooth white cream that dries clear and has no medicinal smell or taste. Abreva can be used by adults and children 12 and older. Abreva is packaged in a convenient, portable tube and can be found in the cough and cold or oral care sections of local drug, discount and grocery stores.
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