A few months ago we reported on a novel drug that might be an effective treatment or effective cure for herpes, a virus carried by the majority of adults. The drug was Bavituximab, a special protein that aids the immune system in recognising and treating virus-carrying cells.

In animals the drug has been demonstrated to remove viruses from the body. The lead researcher, Dr Thorpe, is now running clinical trials on Bavituximab’s effectiveness at treating Hepatitis C and HIV.

Although herpes studies have not begun yet, Bavituximab could be effective in treating the condition.

Bavituximab is a broad-spectrum drug, meaning that it may treat many different viruses. This is because it improves the cell’s defense against all viruses, rather than attacking a specific type of virus directly.

Asked whether Bavituximab might be effective against latent viruses, like herpes, Dr Thorpe told The Behavioral Medicine Report that, “the current thought is that you might be able to deplete the pool of virus during the active phase of infection and if the latent pool of virus can not be replenished then it will die out.”

Dr Thorpe did not comment on when the drug would be available, but hopes that it might be fast-tracked, given that it may also treat HIV.

You can read more about this exciting new herpes drug here.