Drug Database
AC

aciclovir (aciclovir, Lauriad / Sitavig / BA021)

✓ Approved

Innocutis · · Small Molecule

What is aciclovir?

aciclovir is a small molecule developed by Innocutis. It is approved for therapeutic indications via oral (po) or topical.

Drug Profile

Brand Namesaciclovir, Lauriad, Sitavig, BA021
CompanyInnocutis
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
RouteOral (PO), Topical
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Innocutis

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

aciclovir acts on 1 molecular target:

(UL30)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

aciclovir is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Congenital, familial and genetic disordersCongenital herpes simplex infection✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedEClinicalMedicine2026-10-14

Global burden of dengue on healthcare systems: a meta-analysis of healthcare resource utilisation.

Kaushik Namita N, Subramanian Subhashini S, Gedif Kinfemichael K, Nallagangula Thej Kumar TK et al.

Dengue poses an increasing health challenge, yet contemporary global healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) data remain limited. A systematic literature review (SLR) and meta-analysis of studies published 2013-2026 was conducted to estimate hospitalisation rate (HR) and length of stay (LOS) for dengue. Pooled proportions and means were analysed with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under fixed- and random-effects models globally and by region. Meta-regression models estimated potential sources of heterogeneity. Additionally, sensitivity (excluding sample sizes <100, >50,000, and >50,000 and <100) and subgroup analyses were conducted for disease severity, patient characteristics, and region (PROSPERO# CRD42023480948). Of 341 studies included in the SLR, studies reporting HR (121) and LOS (204) were prioritised for analysis. Global HR among patients with dengue, irrespective of severity, was 36.7% (95% CI 29.0-44.4), under the random-effects model. HR was higher for severe versus non-severe dengue (79.4% [55.9-92.2] versus 26.6% [19.3-35.4]), with versus without warning signs (36.9% [23.3-52.9] versus 17.7% [10.2-28.9]), and in Asia versus Latin America (35.1% [18.0-57.2] versus 29.3% [18.4-43.2]). Global mean LOS among hospitalised patients with dengue, irrespective of severity, was 4.9 days (95% CI 4.6-5.2) under the random-effects model. Severe dengue had longer LOS versus non-severe dengue (6.5 [5.4-7.7] versus 4.6 [4.3-4.9] days), especially for patients with versus without comorbidities (6.1 [5.1-7.2] versus 5.1 [4.3-5.9] days), and in Asia versus Latin America (5.1 [4.8-5.5] versus 4.1 [3.4-4.7] days). Meta-regression showed disease severity was the single significant factor (p < 0.0001) associated with high HR and longer LOS (I2 ≥ 99.8%) among the factors analysed. Due to high heterogeneity between studies and interregional differences, pooled estimates should be interpreted with caution. These findings indicate the considerable burden of dengue driven by HCRU, offering valuable insights for health system preparedness, clinical trial design, and policy planning. Novartis Pharma AG.

PMID 42871990
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PubMedExpert opinion on drug discovery2026-10-13

From stochastic systems to governed intelligence: a neurosymbolic path for pharma.

Tan Shawn Zheng Kai SZK, Valdez Joshua Daniel JD, Bohr Adam A

Artificial intelligence is being deployed across the pharmaceutical value chain, yet returns have been inconsistent. One of the explanations for this inconsistency is the organizational focus on models rather than the data foundations needed to support reliable use. This Critical Perspective argues that pharma's AI challenge is not primarily model capability, but rather representation and governance. The authors examine why model-centric deployment strategies underdeliver in semantically weak and operationally complex setting. The authors follow this by outlining a semantic reference architecture in which heterogenous enterprise data are organized around explicit semantics while existing operational systems remain largely intact. Within this framework, ontologies function as computational substrates for conceptual clarity, interoperability, and machine reasoning. On this basis, the authors position neurosymbolic AI as a practical deployment model in which neural services provide flexible interpretation and generation, while symbolic substrates ensure semantic coherence with a knowledge base, therefore governing what may be accepted into real workflows. Durable value from AI in pharma will not come from layering increasingly capable generative models onto poorly governed data environments, nor from relying on human review alone to compensate for weak system design. It will come from operationalizing semantics as infrastructure so that neural outputs are inspectable, verifiable, and accountable before they affect real work.

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PubMedAdvanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)2026-10-13

LigHTS: Biomimetic Hydrogel Photo-Fabrication for Imaging-Based Ultra-High-Throughput Screening.

Enrico Alessandro A, Rigolli Sara S, Zimmermann Julius J, Pezzotti Melissa M et al.

Imaging-based ultra-high-throughput screening (UHTS) in pharma and biotech still relies on 384- and 1536-well plates whose rigid, flat substrates limit biological fidelity and screening efficiency. Highly biomimetic organoids and organs-on-chips improve relevance but at a cost that is incompatible with early screening campaigns. Photopatterned hydrogel scaffolds are potentially scalable, but current approaches lack plate-scale reproducibility and throughput. To address this gap, we present chemically-mediated Light-Intensity Gradients for structured hydrogel functionalization of ultra-High-Throughput Screening formats (LigHTS): an all-optical, in-well method for parallel photofabrication of biomimetic hydrogels in standard 384- and 1536-well plates. Adding ultraviolet-light absorber tartrazine to photo-curable solutions enables hydrogel thickness control by tuning illumination dose without focusing optics. Entire plates are functionalized in parallel with soft (∼1-10 kPa), thin (∼10-200 µm) hydrogels. Simultaneously, film photomasks that encode anisotropies enable control of well-level gel thickness and topography at UHTS scale. We demonstrate the utility of biomimetic gelatin-methacrylate-functionalized UHTS plates using mechanosensitive human cells (HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells, HaCaT epithelial cell colonies, and cardiomyocyte tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem cells), which display stiffness- and topography-dependent phenotypes. Finally, geometric uniformity across the plate meets industry requirements (coefficient of variation <20%), providing a readily available route to enhanced biomimicry in imaging-based UHTS pipelines.

PMID 42864779
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PubMedMolecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)2026-10-10

CD248 expression in human adipose tissue is upregulated in obesity and following glucocorticoid exposure: a mediator of insulin resistance and adipose dysfunction?

Laterveer Rutger R, Lundqvist Martin H MH, Conway Edward M EM, Malik Afshan N AN et al.

CD248 is a transmembrane glycoprotein implicated in fibrosis, hypoxia, and insulin resistance, but its role in human adipose tissue remains incompletely understood. Because glucocorticoids regulate these processes, we investigated whether CD248 is glucocorticoid responsive and characterized its expression across adipose depots and sexes in obesity. CD248 expression was assessed in adipose tissue obtained by needle biopsy (75 male/114 female, BMI: 20.1-47.9 kg/m2) and surgical sampling (24 male/39 female, BMI: 20.0-54.4 kg/m2) from individuals without type 2 diabetes, and in an additional cohort with type 2 diabetes (21 male/33 female, BMI: 22.4-42.4 kg/m2). Adipose tissue, isolated adipocytes and stromal vascular fraction were exposed to cortisol and dexamethasone. Circulating CD248 was analyzed in 44,545 participants from the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project. CD248 expression was higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue in obesity at mRNA (86%) and protein (2-fold) levels, with BMI as the strongest independent predictor. Expression did not differ between individuals with and without type 2 diabetes. Depot-specific differences were identified, with lower CD248 expression in omental adipose tissue than subcutaneous adipose tissue and opposing BMI associations. Sex-specific differences were observed at the protein level, with higher CD248 abundance in females with obesity. Transcriptomic analysis identified remodelling-related pathways in subcutaneous adipose tissue and metabolic pathways in omental adipose tissue. Dexamethasone and cortisol increased CD248 gene expression, and dexamethasone increased CD248 unglycosylated protein in adipocytes. Circulating CD248 increased with BMI and was higher in females with obesity, mirroring adipose tissue protein. Our findings identify CD248 as a glucocorticoid-responsive and depot-specific marker associated with adiposity and metabolic disturbances, suggesting a potential role in obesity-related adipose tissue dysfunction.

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PubMedClinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases2026-10-09

EAN-ESCMID guidelines on the diagnosis and management of encephalitis in adults caused by infection.

Granerod Julia J, Sellner Johann J, Stahl Jean-Paul JP, Defres Sylviane S et al.

Encephalitis is difficult to diagnose and manage, posing a challenge to clinicians. Since the last European guidelines were published in 2010, novel causes have emerged, diagnostic processes have evolved and treatments assessed which need to be reflected in updated guidelines. We aimed to produce recommendations for the diagnosis and management of infectious encephalitis in adults based on current evidence to equip clinicians to improve patient outcomes. These guidelines were developed jointly with the support of two European specialist medical organisations. Clinical questions were prioritised and formulated in PICO format. A systematic literature search was conducted for each question, and the quality of evidence was assessed using standardised tools. Recommendations were developed according to the GRADE approach. Where only indirect evidence was available, a good practice statement was made. Sixteen questions were considered, with two recommendations reached: for initiation of intravenous aciclovir as soon as possible upon suspicion of encephalitis and against replacing pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with multiplex CSF PCR panels for diagnosis of adult patients with suspected infectious encephalitis. For adults with proven HSV encephalitis, we were unable to recommend for or against the use of corticosteroids. A further 13 good practice statements regarding when to clinically suspect infectious encephalitis, microbiological investigations, additional investigations, treatment, and ongoing care and rehabilitation were agreed. Given the clinical severity and public health importance of this condition, the paucity of high-quality evidence is striking. Transnational, large-scale research in infective encephalitis is encouraged.

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PubMedEuropean journal of neurology2026-10-09

Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Encephalitis in Adults: Guidelines From the European Academy of Neurology and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Granerod Julia J, Sellner Johann J, Stahl Jean-Paul JP, Defres Sylviane S et al.

Encephalitis is difficult to diagnose and manage, posing a challenge to clinicians. Since the last European guidelines were published in 2010, novel causes have emerged, diagnostic processes have evolved and treatments assessed which need to be reflected in updated guidelines. We aimed to produce recommendations for the diagnosis and management of infectious encephalitis in adults based on current evidence to equip clinicians to improve patient outcomes. These guidelines were developed jointly with the support of two European specialist medical organisations. Clinical questions were prioritised and formulated in PICO format. A systematic literature search was conducted for each question, and the quality of evidence was assessed using standardised tools. Recommendations were developed according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Where only indirect evidence was available, a good practice statement was made. Sixteen questions were considered, with two recommendations reached: for initiation of intravenous aciclovir as soon as possible upon suspicion of encephalitis and against replacing pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with multiplex CSF PCR panels for diagnosis of adult patients with suspected infectious encephalitis. For adults with proven HSV encephalitis, we were unable to recommend for or against the use of corticosteroids. A further 13 good practice statements regarding when to clinically suspect infectious encephalitis, microbiological investigations, additional investigations, treatment and ongoing care and rehabilitation were agreed. Given the clinical severity and public health importance of this condition, the paucity of high-quality evidence is striking. Transnational, large-scale research in infective encephalitis is encouraged.

PMID 42851210
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