In the early 1980s, doctors at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine discovered that an experimental drug called acyclovir was successful in treating cold sores and genital lesions caused by the herpes simplex virus. Genital herpes is a virus of the family that includes fever blisters, chicken pox and shingles. While acyclovir doesn’t eliminate the virus, it can prevent and stop flare-ups. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, and it was on the market by March 1982. On July 15, 1994, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health announced that teaming the drug with AZT could help patients with AIDS live longer.

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