Hand Sanitizer Use for Herpes Simplex Virus-1

November 13, 2023 updated by: Leciel Bono

Herpes Simplex Virus-1: A Pilot Study Using Hand Sanitizer

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine if the use of Purell hand sanitizer alters the duration, level of pain and discomfort during treatment, and the size of the HSV-1 lesion. The duration of an HSV-1 (herpes) lesion is the primary endpoint for this study. Size, pain, and discomfort are the secondary endpoints.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

The participants will be divided into a control group (10 participants) and treatment group (10 participants) and will be given either the Purell hand sanitizer (treatment group) or medical grade mineral oil (control group) to treat the lesion. Participants will apply a large drop of the product (purell hand sanitizer or mineral oil) on a q-tip and will hold the q-tip on the lesion for 10 seconds. Participants will be instructed to apply a solution to lesion every waking hour for the next 14 days or until lesion has healed. Each day the participant will fill out the daily journal. The journal includes a measurement in millimeters of the lesion with graph paper, recorded number of applications for that day, and two visual analog scales- one measuring any discomfort from the lesion and the other recording the pain during the application process.

Documentation of changes to the lesion will be recorded in a daily journal until the lesion is healed. There are two days that the participants are expected to return to the clinic for re-examination at day three and the last day when the lesion has healed, or the crust has fallen off. Pictures of the lesion will taken at these two points in time.

The duration the HSV-1 lesion, level of pain and discomfort during treatment, and the size of the HSV-1 lesion will be statistically measured between the control group (mineral oil) and the treatment group (purell hand sanitizer) to determine if there is any statistical difference between the two groups.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

    • Idaho
      • Pocatello, Idaho, United States, 83209
        • Recruiting
        • Idaho State University
        • Contact:
    • Utah
      • Saint George, Utah, United States, 84780
        • Recruiting
        • Cotton Creek Dental
        • Contact:
      • Saint George, Utah, United States, 84790

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For the purpose of this study participants must be:

  • in the early prodromal stage of an HSV-1 outbreak (less than 24 hours from initial symptom)
  • have a visible manifestation of a lesion
  • be 18 years or older
  • capable of following daily treatment instructions
  • willing to complete a daily journal
  • willing to come to the clinic twice for records and pictures during the14 days that the lesion is present or until participant is free of lesion.

Exclusion Criteria:

For the purpose of this study participants cannot:

  • be immunocompromised
  • be pregnant
  • have taken any antiviral medication within the last two weeks
  • have used any creams in the last ten days.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment Group (Hand Sanitizer)
Participants with an early prodromal stage of an HSV-1 outbreak (less than 24 hours from initial symptom), with the visible manifestation of a lesion will be invited to participate in the study. Participants will apply a large drop of hand sanitizer in an unmarked container to a Q-tip and will hold the Q-tip on the lesion for 10 seconds. The hand sanitizer will be administered every waking hour in the same manner.
Active ingredient. Ethyl alcohol 70%
Other Names:
  • Hand Sanitizer
Placebo Comparator: Control Group (Medical Grade Mineral Oil)
Participants with an early prodromal stage of an HSV-1 outbreak (less than 24 hours from initial symptom), with the visible manifestation of a lesion will be invited to participate in the study. Participants will apply a large drop of Medical Grade Mineral Oil in an unmarked container to a Q-tip and will hold the Q-tip on the HSV-1 lesion for 10 seconds. The medical grade mineral oil will be administered every waking hour in the same manner.
Inert ingredients: Saturated hydrocarbons, with a purity and chemical structure that differs substantially from food-grade or technical-/industrial-grade mineral oils.
Other Names:
  • Mineral Oil

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Duration of HSV-1 Lesion
Time Frame: 1-14 days
1. Is there a statistically significant difference in the duration of the HSV-1 lesion in individuals who use Purell hand sanitizer on their lesion versus those who are in the control group using medical grade mineral oil? The duration will be determined when the crust of the lesion has fallen off and the lesion is fully healed. Once healed, the participant will be required to return to the clinic for a concluding photograph taken by the research assistant and return the daily journal.
1-14 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Level of Pain during Treatment
Time Frame: 1-14 days
2. Is there a statistically significant difference in the level of pain during the treatment application process of an HSV-1 lesion for those who use Purell hand sanitizer on their lesion versus those who are in the control group using medical grade mineral oil? Pain will be measured by the participants daily using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) which ranges from 1-10 with 1=no pain and 10=extreme pain. The higher the score in the VAS scale, the more pain the participant is experiencing. The pain scale will be used after the medication is applied to determine if there is any corresponding pain with the medication.
1-14 days
Level of Discomfort during Treatment
Time Frame: 1-14 days
Is there a statistically significant difference in the level of discomfort during an HSV-1 lesion for those who use Purell hand sanitizer on their lesion versus those who are in the control group using medical grade mineral oil? Level of discomfort will be measured by the participants daily using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) which ranges from 1-10 with 1=no pain and 10=extreme pain. The higher the score the VAS scale, the higher the level of discomfort with the HSV-1 lesion. The level of discomfort refers to the overall discomfort from the lesion experienced by participants on that day.
1-14 days
Size of Lesion during Treatment
Time Frame: 1-14 days
Is there a statistically significant difference in the size of the HSV-1 lesion for those who use Purell hand sanitizer on their lesion versus those who are in the control group using medical grade mineral oil? The size of the lesion will be measured daily by the participant using millimeter markings on a laminated ruler provided in the kit. Participants will be given instructions on how to measure the lesion using this ruler.
1-14 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Leciel Bono, MS, Idaho State University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 8, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2023

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 30, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2023

First Posted (Estimated)

November 16, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 16, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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