Clinical efficacy of new antifungal agents.

Abstract

Several new options are now available for treating serious fungal infections. All three echinocandin agents currently available have been shown in randomized, blinded clinical trials to be efficacious in treating candidemia and invasive candidiasis. By contrast, the demonstrated efficacy of the echinocandins for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis has been based on historically controlled salvage treatment trials in patients failing or intolerant of other therapies. The new triazole agents, voriconazole and posaconazole, have a broad spectrum of antifungal activity. Voriconazole has become the agent of choice for invasive aspergillosis. On the basis of compassionate treatment data, posaconazole appears to be effective for treatment of zygomycosis. These agents have also been shown to be effective in the treatment of non-Aspergillus mould infections, several of the endemic mycoses and serious Candida infections.

• Authors: Carol A Kauffman
• Journal: Current opinion in microbiology (Curr Opin Microbiol) Vol. 9 Issue 5 Pg. 483-8 (Oct 2006) ISSN: 1369-5274 [Print] England
• PMID: 16904366 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents
• Peptides, Cyclic
• Triazoles

Topics

• Antifungal Agents (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Aspergillosis (drug therapy)
• Candidiasis (drug therapy)
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• Diarrhea (chemically induced)
• Exanthema (chemically induced)
• Humans
• Mycoses (drug therapy)
• Nausea (chemically induced)
• Peptides, Cyclic (therapeutic use)
• Triazoles (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Vomiting (chemically induced)
• Zygomycosis (drug therapy)