and may be prepared e . g . as described in wo87 / 04436 , the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference . pharmaceutically acceptable salts of b - 220 may be formed using any organic or inorganic , pharmaceutically acceptable acid , such as are well - known to the person of ordinary skill in the art . pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts according to the invention are salts that are safe and effective for topical use in mammals and that possess the desired biological activity , e . g . hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , nitrate , sulfate , bisulfate , phosphate , acid phosphate , isonicotinate , acetate , lactate , salicylate , citrate , tartrate , pantothenate , bitartrate , ascorbate , succinate , maleate , gentisinate , fumarate , gluconate , glucaronate , saccharate , formate , benzoate , glutamate , methanesulfonate , ethanesulfonate , benzensulfonate , or p - toluenesulfonate salts . the pharmaceutical composition of the invention comprises b - 220 and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient . in one embodiment of the invention , the pharmaceutical composition comprises b - 220 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in a pharmaceutical carrier suitable for topical delivery of the active ingredient . in one embodiment , the pharmaceutical composition comprises b - 220 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and an additional therapeutically active ingredient , suitable for topical administration , e . g . selected from antiviral agents , antibiotics , anaesthetic agents , analgesic agents , antiphlogistic agents and anti - inflammatory agents . in one embodiment , the additional therapeutically active ingredient comprises or is an antiviral agent . the antiviral agents suitable for the purposes of the present invention are topically acceptable antiviral compounds , which in addition to being specific inhibitors of herpes virus multiplication also are active after topical administration and in addition are pharmaceutically acceptable for topical administration . this means that the toxicity of the antivirals must be sufficiently low to allow for a continuous contact with the human body and in particular with the skin and mucous membranes . examples of antiviral agents are substances within the group comprising compounds acting on viral dna polymerase , such as nucleoside analogues after phosphorylation to their triphosphate forms ; phosphonoformic and phosphonoacetic acids and their analogues ; and other antiviral compounds having a different mechanism of action . as examples of antiviral agents which can be used in the combination of the invention can be mentioned acyclovir ( acv ), acv - phosphonate , brivudine ( bromovinyldeoxyuridine , bvdu ), carbocyclic bvdu , buciclovir , cdg ( carbocyclic 2 ′- deoxyguanosine ), cidofovir ( hpmpc , gs504 ), cyclic hpmpc , desciclovir , edoxudine , famciclovir , ganciclovir ( gcv ), gcv - phosphonate , genivir ( dip - 253 ), h2g ( 9 -[ 4 - hydroxy - 2 -( hydroxy - methyl ) butyl ]- guanine ), hpmpa , lobucavir ( bishydroxymethylcyclobutylguanine , bhcg ), netivudine ( zonavir , b w882c87 ), penciclovir , pmea ( 9 -( 2 - phosphonylmethoxy - ethyl ) adenine ), pmedap , sorivudine ( brovavir , bv - arau ), valacyclovir , 2242 ( 2 - amino - 7 -( 1 , 3 - dihydroxy - 2 - propoxymethyl ) purine ), hoe 602 , hoe 961 ; bpfa ( batyl - pfa ), paa ( phosphonoacetate ), pfa ( phosphonoformate ); arildone , amantadine , bild 1263 , civamide ( capsaicin ), crt , isis 2922 , peptide t , tromantadine , virend , 1 - docosanol ( lidakol ) and 348u87 ( 2 - acetylpyridine - 5 -[ 2 - chloro - anihno - thiocarbonyl ]- thiocarbono - hydrazone ). preferred antiviral agents are those with specific antiviral activity such as herpes specific nucleoside analogues which are preferentially phosphorylated in virus - infected cells and have very low or non - existent incorporation into cellular dna as well as other compounds with specific antiviral activity . acyclovir , for instance , has a selectivity ratio for the inhibitory activity against hsv - 1 in vitro of about 2000 . among said preferred substances can in addition to acyclovir be mentioned brivudine , cidofovir , desciclovir , famciclovir , ganciclovir , to hoe 961 , lobucavir , netivudine , penciclovir , pmea , sorivudine , valacyclovir , 2242 , bpfa , pfa , paa . a suitable antiphlogistic agent , i . e . an agent capable of reducing inflammation , pain and / or fever , e . g . may be a non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drug ( nsaid ), such as diclofenac ( iupac name 2 -( 2 , 6 - dichloranilino ) phenylacetic acid ), or ibuprofen , ( iupac name ( rs )- 2 -( 4 -( 2 - methylpropyl ) phenyl ) propanoic acid ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , e . g . a sodium , potassium or diethylamine salt thereof . a suitable anaesthetic agent e . g . may be lidocaine ( iupac name 2 -( diethylamino )- n -( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl ) acetamide ). a suitable antiinflammatory agent e . g . may be adenosine ( iupac name : ( 2r , 3r , 4s , 5r )- 2 -( 6 - amino - 9h - purin - 9 - yl )- 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) oxolane - 3 , 4 - diol . the antiinflammatory agent also may be selected from antiinflammatory glucocorticoids . a suitable glucocorticoid can be either naturally occurring or synthetic and can be selected from any of the group i - id glucocorticoids , according to a classification system for topical glucocorticoids used in the nordic countries , corresponding to less potent , low or moderately potent glucocorticoids . examples of glucocorticosteroids are alclometasone , amicinonide , beclomethasone , betamethasone , budesonide , ciclesonide , clobetasone , clocortolone , cloprednol , cortison , desonide , desoximethasone , dexamethasone , diflorosane , diflucortolone , difluprednate , fludrocortisone , fludroxycortid , flumethasone , flunisolide , fluocinolone acetonide , fluocinonide , fluocortin , fluocortolone , fluprednidene , fluticasone , halcinonide , halobetasol , halometasone , hydrocortisone , methylprednisolone , mometasone , paramethasone , prednisolone , prednicarbate , prednisone , prednylidene , rofleponide , tipredane and triamcinolone and their esters , salts and solvates , that is hydrates , where applicable . some preferred glucocorticoids are hydrocortisone , alclometasone , desonide , fluprednidene , flumethasone , hydrocortisone butyrate , clobetasone , triamcinolone acetonide , betamethasone , budesonide , desoximethasone , diflorosane , fluocinolone , fluocortolone , fluticasone , methylprednisolone aceponate , mometasone and rofleponide ; in particular hydrocortisone , budesonide and fluticasone . a suitable antibiotic e . g . may be selected from clindomycin , erythromycin , mupirocin , bacitracin , polymyxin and neomycin . the carrier of the pharmaceutical composition should be stable and pharmaceutically acceptable and suitable for topical application . it should also enable incorporation of sufficient amounts of b - 220 or of the pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , and optionally additional active ingredient ( s ). in addition to conventional ingredients in creams , lotions , gels or ointments , aerosolizable liquids , and foams , compositions based on phospholipids , including sphingolipids can be advantageous . in a cream or ointment formulation the carrier may be white petrolatum . a liquid carrier may include water , alcohols or glycols or water - alcohol / glycol blends , in which effective amounts of the active ingredient ( s ) according to the invention can be dissolved or dispersed , optionally with the aid of non - toxic surfactants . adjuvants such as fragrances and antimicrobial agents can be added to optimize the properties for a given use . thickeners such as synthetic polymers , fatty acids , fatty acid salts and esters , fatty alcohols , modified celluloses or modified mineral materials can also be employed with liquid carriers to form spreadable pastes , gels , ointments , creams etc ., for application directly to the skin and / or mucous membrane of the user . a pharmaceutical composition of the invention can be used for the prophylaxis and / or treatment of herpes virus infections in mammals including man . in a preferred embodiment the composition is used for the treatment of primary or recurrent herpes virus infections . the treatment of infection should take place during the virus replication , preferably from the first appearance of redness / lesion or prodromal symptoms and for a period of 3 - 4 days at least . the formulation may be repeatedly applied , e . g . up to every two hours , during the whole episode until healing . prophylactic treatment may be performed in patients having regularly recurrent disease . in this case the formulation is applied to the area where a recurrence is expected before the appearance of the first symptoms . the compositions of the invention can be used to treat all types of herpes virus that replicate in the skin or the mucous membrane , e . g . hsv - 1 , hsv - 2 and vzv . the pharmaceutical compositions for topical administration according to the present invention are preferably creams , lotions , gels , sprays , foams , ointments or drops . the pharmaceutical compositions can be incorporated into plasters or patches to be applied to the skin of a patient to be treated for herpes infections or into pens or sticks for application to the skin or mucous membranes . liquid compositions can be applied from absorbent pads , used to impregnate bandages and other dressings , or sprayed onto the affected area using pump - type or aerosol sprayers . topical administration refers in this context to dermal or mucosal administration to the skin or mucous membrane . the person of ordinary skill in the art will be well able to select suitable excipients in view of the selected formulation and form of administration , referring to e . g . handbooks such as remington : the science and practice of pharmacy 21st edition . philadelphia , pa . lippincott williams & amp ; wilkins . 2005 . in embodiments where a glucocorticoid is included in the pharmaceutical composition of the invention , care must be taken to define the optimal dose of the respective components , due to the herpes virus - stimulating effects of glucocorticoids . too high a dose of the glucocorticoid might stimulate virus multiplication to an extent that can not be inhibited by the antiviral agent . with too low a dose the desired reduction of the symptoms of inflammation might not be achieved . a pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention should contain a therapeutically effective amount of b - 220 . for example , the relative amount of b - 220 in a pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention can be within the range of 0 . 1 - 10 % ( w / w ), preferably 0 . 5 - 5 % ( w / w ), e . g . about 1 % ( w / w ). in embodiments where an additional therapeutically active ingredient , such as any of the above - mentioned agents , is present in the composition , its concentration can be e . g . within the range of 0 . 005 - 5 % ( w / w ), or within the range of 0 . 01 - 2 % ( w / w ) or 0 . 25 - 1 % ( w / w ). in still another aspect , the present invention refers to a method of prophylactic and / or curative treatment of herpes virus infections of the skin or mucous membranes in a mammal subject , e . g . a human , comprising topical administration , in combination or in sequence , of a therapeutically effective dose of b - 220 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , and at least one additional pharmaceutically active ingredient as mentioned herein above . b - 220 ( 1 part ) was mixed with white petrolatum ( 99 parts ) in a homogenizer to provide a preparation in the form of an ointment , free of other components . this ointment is stable for more than 24 months and accordingly no stabilizers or conditioners had to be added . variants of this preparation , e . g . containing a higher percentage of b - 220 , such as 2 . 5 % ( w / w ) may be prepared in the same way . an ointment containing 1 % by weight b - 220 in white petrolatum was administered topically to 10 volunteers suffering from recurrent herpes labialis . the administration was performed repeatedly every day by applying a thin layer of the ointment to affected areas . all test subjects reported that pain surprisingly disappeared or was substantially alleviated within 1 - 2 days and redness disappeared or were substantially reduced within 2 - 4 days .
a pharmaceutical composition for topical administration including 2 , 3 - dimethyl - 6 -- 6h - indolo - quinoxaline or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . the composition is useful for the treatment of herpes virus infections of the skin or mucous membranes in a mammal subject .