Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41509676›Full record

ReviewOpen forum infectious diseases2026

Orolabial and Genital Herpes Clinical Trials: A Meta-analysis of Endpoints.

Abigail Sloan, Mahta Mortezavi, Jacqueline Gerhart, Anindita Banerjee, Negar Niki Alami, Isabel Najera, Sima Ahadieh, Alexis Bernard Dalam, Joshua T Schiffer, Rajul Patel and 1 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Open forum infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Abigail SloanResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0567-1949
Mahta MortezaviResearch and Development, Kymera Therapeutics, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA.
Jacqueline GerhartResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.
Anindita BanerjeeResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.
Negar Niki AlamiResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.
Isabel NajeraResearch and Development, Faes Farma, Leioa, Spain.
Sima AhadiehResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3568-6290
Alexis Bernard DalamResearch and Development, Pfizer, New York City, New York, USA.
Joshua T SchifferDepartment of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2598-1621
Rajul PatelDepartment of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Christine JohnstonVaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3073-0843

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although several antiviral agents are licensed for the treatment of orolabial and genital herpes simplex virus infections, new therapies are needed. Trial design is challenging for these indications due to the heterogeneity of endpoints in prior trials. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials published between 1995 and 2024 consisting of adults with established herpes simplex virus infection who were immunocompetent and nonpregnant. A total of 22 articles met the inclusion criteria. For episodic treatment, endpoints included time to healing, proportion with an aborted lesion, and time to cessation of symptoms. For daily suppressive therapy, endpoints included time to first recurrence, proportion recurrence-free at 1 year, and total shedding rate. We observed that over the last 30 years, clinical trials have used various endpoints with nonstandardized definitions. A reassessment of appropriate endpoints along with regulatory guidance would assist with consistent study design for evaluation of new agents.

Indexed as

genital herpesHSVmeta-analysisorolabial herpessystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41509676
PMCPMC12777976

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.