Background:

Vidarabine (Ara-A) an antiviral drug which is active against herpes simplex and varicella zoster viruses.

Vidarabine (Ara-A) is a nucleoside antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces antibioticus. It has some antineoplastic properties and has broad spectrum activity against DNA viruses in cell cultures and significant antiviral activity against infections caused by a variety of viruses such as the herpes viruses, the vaccinia VIRUS and varicella zoster virus[1].

参考文献:
[1]. Whitley, R., et al., Vidarabine: a preliminary review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic use. Drugs, 1980. 20(4): p. 267-82.