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What is Denevir?

Denavir is a topical antiviral medication used for recurrent cold sores (herpes labialis) on the lips and face in otherwise healthy adult patients. Denavir is a topical cream that is applied externally on the lips and face. It is not indicated for internal use on mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose, genital or rectal areas.

How to Use

Apply Denavir every two hours during waking hours for four days to your cold sore with your finger or a cotton swab. Wash hands to prevent it from coming into contact with your eyes or other areas to prevent irritation.

How does Denavir work (mechanism of action)?

After applying Denavir to a cold sore, the active ingredient, penciclovir, penetrates into the infected cells to block the multiplying of the virus that causes the cold sore.

Possible Side Effects

Denavir was generally well tolerated in all clinical trials -- the most frequently reported adverse events with Denavir and placebo in the pivotal trials, respectively, were headache (5.3% vs 5.8%) and application site reaction (1.3% vs 1.8%). In the most recent trial the adverse events were no different.