RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Kanuka honey versus aciclovir for the topical treatment of herpes simplex labialis: a randomised controlled trial
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e026201
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026201
VO 9
IS 5
A1 Alex Semprini
A1 Joseph Singer
A1 Irene Braithwaite
A1 Nick Shortt
A1 Darmiga Thayabaran
A1 Melanie McConnell
A1 Mark Weatherall
A1 Richard Beasley
YR 2019
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/5/e026201.abstract
AB Objective To compare New Zealand medical grade kanuka honey with topical aciclovir for the treatment of herpes simplex labialis.Design Prospective parallel randomised controlled open-label superiority trial.Setting 76 community pharmacies across New Zealand between 10 September 2015 and 13 December 2017.Participants 952 adults randomised within the first 72 hours of a herpes simplex labialis episode.Interventions Random assignment 1:1 to either 5% aciclovir cream or medical grade kanuka honey (90%)/glycerine (10%) cream, both applied five times daily.Outcome measures The primary outcome was time from randomisation to return to normal skin (stage 7). Secondary outcomes included time from randomisation to stage 4 (open wound), time from stage 4 to 7, maximal pain, time to pain resolution and treatment acceptability.Results Primary outcome variable: Kaplan-Meier-based estimates (95% CI) for the median time in days for return to normal skin were 8 (8 to 9) days for aciclovir and 9 (8 to 9) for honey; HR (95% CI) 1.06 (0.92 to 1.22), p=0.56. There were no statistically significant differences between treatments for all secondary outcome variables. No related serious adverse events were reported.Conclusion There was no evidence of a difference in efficacy between topical medical grade kanuka honey and 5% aciclovir in the pharmacy-based treatment of herpes simplex labialis.Trial registration number ACTRN12615000648527;Post-results