Drug for rare disorder shows promise for treating herpes viruses

(University of Illinois at Chicago) New research shows that the antiviral activity of the drug -- called phenylbutyrate, or PBA -- was even better when used along with acyclovir, a common HSV-1 treatment. When used in combination, less acyclovir is needed to effectively suppress the virus compared to acyclovir alone -- this is important because acyclovir is also known to have toxic side effects in the kidneys.