Why Viread acts against both HIV and HVS

New research published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe reveals why giving anti-HIV drug Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) from Gilead Sciences, as a gel results in dual protection against both HIV and Herpes Simplex Virus. Infection with HSV is known to facilitate the risk of HIV infection and impacts the clinical course of the disease. It is also known that Viread works by inhibiting an enzyme needed by HIV to replicate itself. Yet tests showed that the gel not only reduces HIV-1 transmission, it also cuts the risk for infection with HSV. Now an international team has found clues why this occurs: it seems that Viread also efficiently inhibits an enzyme needed for herpes viral replication. The finding should prove important for the design of new drug formulations and administration protocols in future microbicide trials. see "Topical Tenofovir, a Microbicide Effective against HIV, Inhibits Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Replication" Graciela Andrei et al. Cell Host & Microbe, Volume 10, Issue 4, 379-389, 20 October 2011 10.1016/j.chom.2011.08.015