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Each year, 150 million people in the United States (one-third of the population) suffer from the pain and embarrassment of cold sores. With a total of 380 million outbreaks annually nationwide, the average cold sore sufferer will have two to six outbreaks, lasting approximately seven to 10 days each. In the United States alone, more than $1 billion is spent every year on both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) treatments to help bring relief to this growing epidemic.
As an oral healthcare professional, you have probably seen your share of oral herpes (cold sores/fever blisters). Your patients are upset by the physical discomfort and, at times, are distraught by the social embarrassment. Many turn to you for answers and relief. As their doctor, you want to help. It is uniquely gratifying and rewarding when advances in medicine and pharmacology coincide with a business opportunity to make that possible.
Viroxyn® kills the virus that causes cold sores on contact. Quadex Pharmaceuticals, LLC has chosen an innovative approach to making Viroxyn® available to patients. Your practice can participate practically and financially in assuring that Viroxyn® gets to the cold sore sufferers who need it. Some Dental Equipment & Materials readers will remember Viroxyn® from when it was marketed in 1999-2000. Sales were temporarily suspended in order to respond to an FDA request for additional effectiveness data. Having responded appropriately to the FDA request, Quadex Pharmaceuticals, LLC reintroduced Viroxyn® to the market in late November 2003. In order to provide optimal chances for its successful application to cold sores, it is being reintroduced via dental and other healthcare professionals. This product offers dentists simultaneous opportunities to educate their patients about the importance of cold sores as one of the cutaneous herpes simplex (type 1 or HSV-1) infections, to teach them optimal administration techniques for the best therapeutic result, and to share in the revenues from the sales of this product by offering it to patients.
Background (Human Herpes Virus 101)
The human herpes viruses affect more than 90 percent of the world's six billion inhabitants. While there are likely numerous variants, eight are known to infect man. Of these, the three that infect the skin and/or mucous membranes and become latent in the nervous system are perhaps...