Acyclovir in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

In view of the enormous public health concern about chronic hepatitis B, the lack of available therapies and because no good in vitro or in vivo screening tests exist new antiviral agents have been tried empirically in this disease. Several agents, including acyclovir, have now been studied with some apparent success though none have yet been subjected to adequately controlled trials. Acyclovir has the advantage of being better tolerated but to date has been limited by having to be given intravenously. New prodrugs of acyclovir may facilitate its oral administration but the ultimate role of these in the management of chronic hepatitis B, either as single or combined therapy, remains to be determined.