In an embodiment, the invention is directed to prodrug compounds of L-BHDU according to the chemical structure I:






Where R1 is a —(CH2)n—O—R1a group or a —(CH2)j—O—C(O)Ok—R2a group;
R2 is H, a —(CH2)n—O—R1a group or a —(CH2)j—O—C(O)Ok—R2a group;
R1a is independently a C6-C30 alkyl group, often a C12-C22 alkyl group, often a C14-C20 alkyl group or a C16-C18 alkyl group, often a C16 or C18 alkyl group;
R2a is independently a C1-C12 alkyl group, often a C2-C6 alkyl group, a C3-C4 alkyl group, an isopropyl, t-butyl or sec-butyl group, or an isopropyl or t-butyl group;
Each j is independently 1-6, 1-3, often 1 or 2;
Each k is 0 or 1;
Each n is independently 1-6, 1-4, 2-4 or 2 or 3; or
A pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solute or polymorph thereof. Additional embodiments are directed to pharmaceutical compositions based upon the disclosed chemical compounds and methods of treating or reducing the likelihood of VZV, HSV-1 or HSV-2 infections. Methods of synthesizing compounds according to the present invention represent further embodiments of the invention.