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Genital warts, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), are common and difficult to treat. Ablative measures aimed at the infected tissue are commonly employed but can be painful, locally destructive, or both. No treatment directed at HPV itself currently exists. Topical cidofovir, an antiviral drug that targets DNA viruses, may change that situation.
In this double-blind study, 30 Belgian patients with anogenital warts randomly received topical cidofovir or placebo, applied once daily for 5 days, every other week for up to 6 cycles. Randomization was designed to yield a 2:1 ratio of treated to control subjects and to account for lesion size (larger or smaller than 50 mm2). HIV-positive patients were excluded. A complete response (total healing…