Acyclovir Price in the Philippines 2026: Tablet & Cream Cost by Brand
Quick Answer: Acyclovir (aciclovir) tablets cost ₱106.50 to ₱394.50 per tablet in the Philippines depending on brand and strength, based on prices published by Rose Pharmacy as of September 2026. The generic-branded 400mg tablet (Virest) is ₱106.50, while the branded original Zovirax 800mg tablet is ₱394.50 — nearly four times more for a similar-purpose dose. Zovirax cream (2g tube) costs ₱873.00. Acyclovir is not on PhilHealth's GAMOT free-medicine list, and it's prescription-only.
About these figures: The prices below come from Rose Pharmacy's own product pages (rosepharmacy.com), read directly on September 1, 2026. Mercury Drug does not publish prices online, Watsons blocks automated price checks, and Generika publishes no online price list, so none of the three could be verified as sources here. The Generics Pharmacy's storefront (store.tgp.com.ph) returned an access error on every attempt during our research, so we could not confirm TGP pricing for acyclovir either — Rose Pharmacy is the only verified source in this guide. Last checked: September 2026.
Table of Contents
- How much does acyclovir cost per tablet?
- What is acyclovir cream, and how much does it cost?
- Generic vs. branded: what's the actual price gap?
- What does acyclovir treat?
- How much does a full treatment course cost?
- Is acyclovir covered by PhilHealth GAMOT?
- Is acyclovir under a government price cap?
- Do you need a prescription for acyclovir?
- How can you lower the cost?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How much does acyclovir cost per tablet?
Rose Pharmacy publishes prices for three oral acyclovir tablet brands, at two strengths:
| Brand | Strength | Official Price (as of Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Virest | 400mg | ₱106.50/tab |
| Herpex | 400mg | ₱139.25/tab |
| Herpex | 800mg | ₱167.00/tab |
| Zovirax (branded original) | 800mg | ₱394.50/tab |
We did not find a published 200mg tablet — a strength commonly used for genital herpes suppression in other markets — from either brand on Rose Pharmacy. If your prescription is written for 200mg, confirm availability directly at the branch.
What is acyclovir cream, and how much does it cost?
Topical acyclovir is used for cold sores and other localized herpes simplex outbreaks on the skin, rather than systemic infection. Rose Pharmacy lists the branded original:
| Product | Strength | Pack size | Official Price (as of Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zovirax Cream | 5% | 2g tube | ₱873.00 |
We could not find a published generic acyclovir cream price from either Rose Pharmacy or a confirmed TGP source, so Zovirax is the only cream price we can verify here.
Generic vs. branded: what's the actual price gap?
The spread is substantial at the 800mg strength: Herpex (₱167.00/tab) versus the branded original Zovirax (₱394.50/tab) is a ₱227.50 difference per tablet — Zovirax costs roughly 2.4 times more for the same strength. At 400mg, Virest (₱106.50) is about 24% cheaper than Herpex (₱139.25), showing that even among generic-branded options, price varies by manufacturer, not just by "generic vs. original."
If your prescription simply says "acyclovir [strength]" without specifying a brand, ask your pharmacist which options are in stock — all three brands above deliver the same active ingredient at the same labeled dose.
What does acyclovir treat?
Acyclovir is an antiviral prescribed for infections caused by herpes viruses. Common reasons for a prescription include cold sores and genital herpes outbreaks (herpes simplex virus), shingles (herpes zoster), and in some cases chickenpox in people at higher risk of complications. It doesn't cure the underlying virus — it shortens outbreaks and reduces symptom severity when started early, and a doctor prescribes the specific strength, frequency, and duration based on which condition is being treated.
How much does a full treatment course cost?
Acyclovir is dosed multiple times a day for a fixed number of days rather than as a single tablet, so the total cost of a course is what actually matters for budgeting. Your own prescription determines your exact regimen — the totals below are illustrative math on the published per-tablet prices, not a medical recommendation:
| Example course | Tablets needed | Cost (Virest/Herpex 400mg) | Cost (Zovirax 800mg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorter course, 400mg tablets, several times daily for about a week | ~21 tablets | ₱2,236.50 (Virest) – ₱2,924.25 (Herpex) | n/a |
| Shingles-type course, 800mg tablets, five times daily for about a week | ~35 tablets | ₱5,845.00 (Herpex 800mg) | ₱13,807.50 (Zovirax) |
The gap between generic-branded Herpex and the branded original Zovirax widens dramatically once you multiply by a real course — nearly ₱8,000 more for the same total dose over a week. This is exactly the kind of comparison a per-tablet price alone hides.
Is acyclovir covered by PhilHealth GAMOT?
No. Acyclovir is explicitly not on PhilHealth's 75-medicine GAMOT list under Circular 2025-0013 — it's one of the medicines we were able to confirm as excluded when researching that program. GAMOT covers a defined set of maintenance and infection-related drugs at zero out-of-pocket cost up to a ₱20,000-per-beneficiary-per-year limit, but acyclovir isn't one of them. See our PhilHealth GAMOT guide for the full list of what is and isn't covered.
Is acyclovir under a government price cap?
We could not confirm this either way. Executive Order No. 104 (2020) and Executive Order No. 155 (2021) set legally binding Maximum Retail Price ceilings on a defined list of drug molecules, and the voluntary GMAP list (current as of 9 February 2026) covers a separate set of manufacturer-approved price cuts. We were unable to locate a published DOH annex confirming whether acyclovir specifically sits on either list, so we're not stating a cap here. What we can confirm is that no Executive Order after EO 155 exists — the prices above are simply what Rose Pharmacy publishes today, capped or not.
Do you need a prescription for acyclovir?
Yes, for both the tablets and the cream. Rose Pharmacy's checkout process requires a valid prescription upload before it processes an order for any of the products above, and a legitimate pharmacy — online or in-store — should do the same.
How can you lower the cost?
- Ask your doctor if a lower strength or shorter course is clinically appropriate for your specific diagnosis — this is a medical decision, not a cost-cutting shortcut you should make on your own.
- Compare Virest and Herpex before defaulting to Zovirax if your doctor's prescription doesn't specify a brand — the price gap at 800mg alone is over ₱200 per tablet.
- Confirm your HMO covers outpatient antivirals if you have one; acyclovir isn't a GAMOT medicine, so PhilHealth won't offset the cost the way it would for a covered maintenance drug.
- Start treatment early, if your doctor advises it — antivirals for herpes outbreaks are most effective, and sometimes prescribed for a shorter course, when started at the first sign of symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does acyclovir 400mg cost in the Philippines?
Acyclovir 400mg costs ₱106.50 per tablet for Virest and ₱139.25 per tablet for Herpex, based on prices published by Rose Pharmacy as of September 2026.
How much does acyclovir 800mg cost in the Philippines?
Acyclovir 800mg costs ₱167.00 per tablet for the generic-branded Herpex and ₱394.50 per tablet for the branded original Zovirax, based on Rose Pharmacy's published prices.
Is acyclovir covered by PhilHealth?
No. Acyclovir is confirmed excluded from PhilHealth's GAMOT free-medicine list under Circular 2025-0013, so it isn't reimbursed through that specific program.
How much does Zovirax cream cost?
Zovirax 5% cream in a 2g tube costs ₱873.00, based on Rose Pharmacy's published online price.
Do I need a prescription for acyclovir?
Yes. Acyclovir tablets and cream are both prescription-only in the Philippines. Rose Pharmacy requires a valid prescription upload before dispensing either online.
What conditions is acyclovir used for?
Acyclovir treats infections caused by herpes viruses, including cold sores, genital herpes outbreaks, and shingles. A doctor determines the specific strength and duration based on the diagnosis.
Why is Zovirax so much more expensive than the generic options?
Zovirax is the original branded formulation of acyclovir, while Virest and Herpex are generic-branded alternatives from other manufacturers. At the 800mg strength, Zovirax costs about 2.4 times more per tablet than Herpex for the same active ingredient and dose.
Does Mercury Drug sell acyclovir, and what does it cost there?
Mercury Drug likely carries acyclovir, but it does not publish medicine prices online, so we can't confirm a figure for it here. Confirm the price directly at your nearest branch.
Conclusion
Acyclovir's price in the Philippines depends heavily on which brand you're prescribed — Virest at ₱106.50/tab is the most affordable option we could verify, while the branded original Zovirax runs nearly four times more per tablet at the same 800mg strength, a gap that grows into thousands of pesos across a full treatment course. It isn't covered by PhilHealth's GAMOT program, so budgeting for the full course matters more than for a GAMOT-listed maintenance drug. For related reading, see our guides on PhilHealth's GAMOT free-medicine program and other maintenance medicine costs, or use a telemedicine app to get a prescription reviewed if you're showing symptoms. Need a doctor near you? Search ClinicFinderPH to find a provider.