Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Zovirax Cream
⚠ This medicine appears to have been discontinued
The electronic medicines compendium (emc) no longer publishes a Summary of Product Characteristics for this product, which usually means it is no longer marketed in the UK. The patient leaflet below is kept for reference, but the product may not be available.
If you were prescribed this medicine, other products containing Aciclovir may still be available. Do not stop your treatment — ask your pharmacist or GP what to use instead.
What it is and what it is used for
for Zovirax Cream (called 'Zovirax' in this leaflet) contains a medicine called aciclovir. This belongs to a group of medicines called antivirals. It is used to treat cold sores and genital infections caused by the Herpes simplex virus. It works by killing or stopping the growth of viruses that cause cold sores or genital herpes.
What you need to know before you take it
e Zovirax Do not use Zovirax if:
- you are allergic (hypersensitive) to aciclovir, valaciclovir, propylene glycol or any of the other ingredients (listed in Section 6). If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Zovirax. Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Zovirax if:
- you have a condition where your immune system works less well and your body is less able to fight infections (e.g. if you have HIV or AIDS or if you have had a bone marrow transplant). If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Zovirax. Zovirax Cream is not for use in the mouth, eyes or the vagina. Zovirax Cream may cause skin irritation. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Zovirax. Other medicines and Zovirax Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines. This includes medicines obtained without prescription, including herbal medicines. Pregnancy and breast-feeding Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before using any medicine. Zovirax Contains: Cetostearyl alcohol; The excipient cetostearyl alcohol can cause local skin reactions (e.g. contact dermatitis) Propylene glycol; this medicine contains 400 mg of propylene glycol per gram of product.
Propylene glycol may cause skin irritation. Do not use this medicine in babies less than 4 weeks old with open wounds or large areas of broken or damaged skin (such as burns) without talking to your doctor or pharmacist. Sodium laurilsulfate; this medicine contains 7.5 mg of sodium laurilsulfate per gram of product. Sodium laurilsulfate may cause local skin reactions (such as stinging or burning sensation) or increase skin reactions caused by other products when applied on the same area.
How to take it
Zovirax Always use Zovirax exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. Applying the cream
- Zovirax Cream is not for use in your mouth, eyes or the vagina.
- You should not mix Zovirax with anything before you use it, not even water.
- Always wash your hands before and after you use the cream. Adults and children
- Apply a thin layer of cream to the affected area five times a day.
- You should space each application of Zovirax by four hours. Suggested times are: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm and 11pm.
- If your cold sore has not healed after 4 days, or your genital herpes sore has not healed after 5 days, you may use the cream for 5 more days.
- If the affected area has still not healed after this, stop using the cream and tell your doctor. If you use more Zovirax than you should Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you use too much Zovirax. Zovirax Cream is for use on the skin, if you swallow any talk to your doctor or pharmacist. If you forget to use Zovirax
- If you forget to use Zovirax, use it as soon as you remember. However, if it is nearly time for your next application, skip the missed application.
- Do not use a double application to make up for a forgotten application.
4 Possible side effects Like all medicines, Zovirax can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The following
Possible side effects
may happen with this medicine: Allergic reactions (affects less than 1 in 10,000 people) If you have an allergic reaction, stop taking Zovirax and see a doctor straight away. The signs may include:
- rash, itching or hives on your skin
- swelling of your face, lips, tongue or other parts of your body
- shortness of breath, wheezing or having trouble breathing
- unexplained fever and feeling faint, especially when standing up. Other side effects include: Uncommon (affects less than 1 in 100 people)
- a burning or stinging feeling after applying the cream that goes away
- mild drying or flaking of your skin
- itching. Rare (affects less than 1 in 1,000 people)
- redness of your skin
- skin rash. If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
How to store it
Zovirax • • • • • •
6
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Store below 25°C. Do not store in a refrigerator. Do not use Zovirax if more than one month has passed since you first opened the tube. Do not use Zovirax after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and tube. The expiry date (Exp.) refers to the last day of that month. Do not throw away medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Contents of the pack and other information
What Zovirax Cream contains
- The active substance is aciclovir.
- The cream contains 5% w/w aciclovir.
- The other ingredients are poloxamer 407, cetostearyl alcohol, sodium laurilsulfate, white soft paraffin, liquid paraffin, propylene glycol, purified water, glycerol monostearate and polyoxyethylene stearate, dimeticone 20. What Zovirax looks like and contents of the pack Each carton contains a 2 g or 10 g tube of Zovirax. The tube has a screw cap and contains a smooth, white to off-white cream. Marketing authorisation holder and manufacturer Marketing authorisation holder The Wellcome Foundation Ltd, 79 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1DG, United Kingdom Manufacturer Glaxo Operations UK Limited, Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, Durham, DL12 8DT. Other formats: To listen to or request a copy of this leaflet in Braille, large print or audio please call, free of charge:
0800 198 5000 (UK Only). Please be ready to give the following information: Product name Reference number
Zovirax Cream 00003/0180
This is a service provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Leaflet date: January 2025 Zovirax is a registered trademark of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies. 2025 GlaxoSmithKline group of companies. All rights reserved. (GlaxoSmithKline logo)
Frequently asked questions about Zovirax Cream
How do I take Zovirax Cream?
Zovirax Cream comes as cream. Always follow the dose your doctor or pharmacist has given you, and read the leaflet that comes with the medicine.
What is the active substance in Zovirax Cream?
The active substance in Zovirax Cream is aciclovir.
Are there equivalent medicines to Zovirax Cream?
Medicines with the same active substance, strength and form include: Boots Antiviral Cold Sore 5% w/w Cream, Pinewood Cold Sore Cream, Virasorb Cold Sore Cream. In total there are 4 equivalent products. They are interchangeable only if your prescriber or pharmacist says so.
Where does this information come from?
This leaflet reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for Zovirax Cream, as published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). The version printed inside your medicine’s packaging is the one that applies to you.
Can I get Zovirax Cream without a prescription?
Whether a medicine is available over the counter or on prescription only depends on its licence. Check the leaflet, or ask your pharmacist — they can tell you straight away.
About this leaflet
The text above reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for this medicine, restructured for easier reading.
- Source: electronic medicines compendium (emc), Datapharm
- Active substance: aciclovir
- Official document: view the original leaflet on emc →
⚕For healthcare professionals — Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)Full SmPC: dosage, interactions, contraindications, warnings+
4.1. Therapeutic indications
Zovirax Cream is indicated for the treatment of Herpes Simplex virus infections of the skin including initial and recurrent genital herpes and herpes labialis.
Route of administration: topical.
Do not use in eyes.
4.2. Posology and method of administration
Adults and Children: Zovirax Cream should be applied five times daily at approximately four hourly intervals, omitting the night time application.
Zovirax Cream should be applied to the lesions or impending lesions as soon as possible, preferably during the early stages (prodrome or erythema). Treatment can also be started during the later (papule or blister) stages.
Treatment should be continued for at least 4 days for herpes labialis and for 5 days for genital herpes. If healing has not occurred then treatment may be continued for up to an additional 5 days.
Use in the elderly: No special comment
4.3. Contraindications
Zovirax Cream is contraindicated in patients known to be hypersensitive to aciclovir, valaciclovir, propylene glycol or any of the excipients of Zovirax Cream listed in section 6.1.
4.4. Special warnings and precautions for use
Zovirax Cream is not recommended for application to mucous membranes such as in the mouth, eye or vagina, as it may be irritant.
Particular care should be taken to avoid accidental introduction into the eye.
In severely immunocompromised patients (eg AIDS patients or bone marrow transplant recipients) oral Zovirax dosing should be considered. Such patients should be encouraged to consult a physician concerning the treatment of any infection.
Zovirax Cream contains a specially formulated base and should not be diluted or used as a base for the incorporation of other medicaments.
Excipients
The excipient cetostearyl alcohol can cause local skin reactions (e.g. contact dermatitis).
This medicine contains 400 mg of propylene glycol per gram of product. Propylene glycol may cause skin irritation.
Do not use this medicine in neonates with open wounds or large areas of broken or damaged skin (such as burns).
This medicine contains 7.5 mg of sodium laurilsulfate per gram of product. Sodium laurilsulfate may cause local skin reactions (such as stinging or burning sensation) or increase skin reactions caused by other products when applied on the same area.
4.5. Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
No clinically significant interactions have been identified.
4.6. Fertility, pregnancy and breast-feeding
Pregnancy:
A post-marketing aciclovir pregnancy registry has documented pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to any formulation of Zovirax. The registry findings have not shown an increase in the number of birth defects amongst aciclovir exposed subjects compared with the general population, and any birth defects showed no uniqueness or consistent pattern to suggest a common cause. Systemic administration of aciclovir in internationally accepted standard tests did not produce embryotoxic or teratogenic effects in rabbits, rats or mice.
In a non-standard test in rats, foetal abnormalities were observed but only following such high subcutaneous doses that maternal toxicity was produced. The clinical relevance of these findings is uncertain.
The use of Zovirax Cream should be considered only when the potential benefits outweigh the possibility of unknown risks however the systemic exposure to aciclovir from topical application of Zovirax Cream is very low.
Teratogenicity:
Effects in non-clinical studies were observed only at exposures considered sufficiently in excess of the maximum human exposure to indicate little relevance to clinical use (see section 5.3)
Breast-feeding:
Limited human data show that the drug does pass into breast milk following systemic administration. However, the dosage received by a nursing infant following maternal use of Zovirax Cream would be insignificant.
Fertility:
There is no information on the effect of aciclovir on human female fertility.
In a study of 20 male patients with normal sperm count, oral aciclovir administered at doses of up to 1g per day for up to six months has been shown to have no clinically significant effect on sperm count, motility or morphology.
See Clinical Studies in section 5.2
4.7. Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Not applicable
4.8. Undesirable effects
The following convention has been used for the classification of undesirable effects in terms of frequency: very common ≥1/10, common ≥1/100 and <1/10, uncommon ≥1/1000 and <1/100, rare ≥1/10,000 and <1/1000, very rare <1/10,000.
Immune system disorders:
Very rare
• Immediate hypersensitivity reactions including angioedema and urticaria.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders:
Uncommon
• Transient burning or stinging following application of Zovirax Cream
• Mild drying or flaking of the skin
• Itching
Rare
• Erythema
• Contact dermatitis following application. Where sensitivity tests have been conducted, the reactive substances have most often been shown to be components of the cream rather than aciclovir.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
4.9. Overdose
No untoward effects would be expected if the entire contents of a 10 gram tube of Zovirax Cream containing 500 mg of aciclovir were ingested orally. However the accidental, repeated overdose of oral aciclovir, over several days has resulted in gastrointestinal effects (nausea and vomiting) and neurological effects (headache and confusion). Aciclovir is dialysable by haemodialysis.
💬 Ask about this leaflet
Ask anything about Zovirax Cream. The assistant answers only from this leaflet — if the leaflet does not cover it, it will say so. It does not give medical advice.
Answers come from the patient leaflet published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). They are not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or your GP if you are unsure. For urgent help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.
Medicines containing Aciclovir
- Aciclovir 200 mg Tablets
- Aciclovir 200mg Tablets
- Aciclovir 200mg/5ml Oral Suspension
- Aciclovir 400 mg Tablets
- Aciclovir 400mg Tablets
- Aciclovir 400mg/5ml Oral Suspension
- Aciclovir 800 mg Tablets
- Aciclovir 800mg Tablets
- Aciclovir Agepha 30 mg/g eye ointment
- Pinewood Cold Sore Cream
- Virasorb Cold Sore Cream
- Zovirax 200mg Tablets
- Zovirax Cold Sore Cream
- Zovirax Double-Strength Suspension