Jim Makichuk with the Kaiser Permanente statement showing its $2,532.80 cost for Zovirax. Jim Makichuk with the Kaiser Permanente statement showing its $2,532.80 cost for Zovirax. A $2,532.80 tube of cold-sore cream is another example of out-of-control healthcare costs in U.S. Jim Makichuk bought a 5-gram tube of Zovirax, a prescription cold-sore cream, a few years ago in Canada for $34.65.