Posaconazole: a new broad-spectrum antifungal agent.

Abstract

The rising incidence of invasive fungal infections and the emergence of broader fungal resistance have led to the need for novel antifungal agents. Posaconazole is a new member of the triazole class of antifungals. It is available as an oral suspension and has a favorable toxicity profile, has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis and has shown promise as salvage therapy for invasive aspergillosis, zygomycosis, cryptococcal meningitis and a variety of other fungal infections. In addition, data from randomized controlled studies support its efficacy for use in prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections in patients who are severely immunocompromised. The wide spectrum activity of posaconazole in in vitro studies, animal models and preliminary clinical studies suggest that posaconazole represents an important addition to the antifungal armamentarium.

• Authors: Douglas S Kwon, Eleftherios Mylonakis
• Journal: Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy (Expert Opin Pharmacother) Vol. 8 Issue 8 Pg. 1167-78 (Jun 2007) ISSN: 1744-7666 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 17516880 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents
• Triazoles
• posaconazole

Topics

• Animals
• Antifungal Agents (adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Drug Resistance, Fungal
• Fungi (drug effects)
• Humans
• Immunocompromised Host
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Mycoses (drug therapy)
• Salvage Therapy
• Triazoles (adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, therapeutic use)