[Progress in research for new drugs against the herpes virus]

Significant advances have been made in the development of effective antiherpes-virus chemotherapy in the last decades. Acyclovir was approved for the treatment of HSV infections over 15 years ago and it remains an important and reliable antiviral agent. In this review the most promising new antiviral drugs are described. It will focus on the drugs that have just entered the therapy, or will do so within a short period of time. Some of the them are still under clinical investigation. Antiviral activity, results of clinical trials and adverse effects will be presented.