Table 1.

Antiviral Agents Used in the Treatment of Herpes Zoster in Immunocompetent Adults

Drug	Dosage	FDA Approval?	Generic Version Available?	Average Wholesale Price (Generic) for 7 Days of Therapy
Acyclovir (Zovirax, Valeant)	800 mg every 4 hours (five times daily) for 7 to 10 days	Yes	Yes	$128.33
Famciclovir (Famvir, Novartis)	500 mg every 8 hours (three times daily) for 7 days	Yes	Yes	$266.06
Valacyclovir (Valtrex, GlaxoSmithKline)	1,000 mg every 8 hours (three times daily) for 7 days	Yes	Yes	$265.63

Data from Gnann JW, Whitley RJ. N Engl J Med 2002;347:340–346;⁵ Dworkin RH, et al. Clin Infect Dis 2007;44(Suppl 1):S1–S26;⁶⁸ and McKesson.⁶⁹