Pafuramidine for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in HIV-infected individuals.

Abstract

Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia remains one of the major worldwide contributors to the morbidity and mortality of those with HIV infection. The mainstay of therapy for treatment is trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX); however TMP-SMX may be associated with significant side effects and intolerability. In addition, TMP-SMX has a moderate pill burden with three- to four-times daily dosing schedule. Patients unable to tolerate TMP-SMX are confronted with either parenteral therapy or other oral agents that may be less efficacious or are associated with potential serious adverse reactions. Pafuramidine (DB289) is an orally bioavailable prodrug of furamidine (DB75), an investigational diamidine that is less toxic than previous diamidines such as pentamidine. To date, human trials suggest that pafuramidine is well tolerated overall and has clinical activity against Pneumocystis pneumonia. In this article, we review the available data for the use of pafuramidine in Pneumocystis pneumonia.

• Authors: Donald Chen, Rebecca Marsh, Judith A Aberg
• Journal: Expert review of anti-infective therapy (Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther) Vol. 5 Issue 6 Pg. 921-8 (Dec 2007) ISSN: 1744-8336 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 18039076 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Review)

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents
• Benzamidines
• pafuramidine

Topics

• Animals
• Antifungal Agents (chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Benzamidines (chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Clinical Trials as Topic
• HIV
• HIV Infections (complications)
• Humans
• Pneumocystis carinii
• Pneumonia, Pneumocystis (drug therapy, etiology)