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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Pediatr.

Sec. Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1551335

Transfer of amenamevir into breast milk in breastfeeding patients with recurrent herpes simplex: Study protocol for a single-arm, open-label study

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), Tokyo, Japan
  • 2 Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
  • 3 Maruho, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Recurrent herpes simplex (RHS) is a disease caused by reactivation of the herpes simplex virus. Patients with RHS are treated with anti-herpes virus medication. Amenamevir is one such medication used for RHS in Japan and is administered as patient-initiated therapy (PIT); this involves initiation at the discretion of the patient, based on early symptoms. However, there are insufficient data on the transfer of amenamevir into breast milk among breastfeeding patients with RHS.. Objectives: This study aims to assess the transfer of amenamevir into breast milk and evaluate the infant's risk of drug exposure. Methods: This study is a single-arm, open-label, interventional multicenter study. Patients who experience RHS during breastfeeding will be recruited and treated with amenamevir. The concentration of amenamevir in breast milk will be determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The primary outcome is relative infant dose (RID) calculated by Cave[AUC(0-24h)]. The secondary outcome is RID calculated by Cmax and Cave[AUC(0-48h)].Discussion: This study will provide evidence of the transfer profile of amenamevir into breast milk during PIT. If the RID of amenamevir is less than 10%, such therapy is generally considered to be safe, and use of PIT with amenamevir may consequently lead to a new standard therapy for breastfeeding patients.

    Keywords: breastfeeding1, recurrent herpes simplex (RHS)2, amenamevir3, milk transfer4, Relative Infant Dose (RID)5, Patient Initiated Therapy (PIT)6

    Received: 16 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Koinuma, Goto, Saito, Murashima and Takeshita. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sachi Koinuma, National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), Tokyo, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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