Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile of voriconazole.

Voriconazole is the first available second-generation triazole with potent activity against a broad spectrum of clinically significant fungal pathogens, including Aspergillus,Candida, Cryptococcus neoformans, and some less common moulds. Voriconazole is rapidly absorbed within 2 hours after oral administration and the oral bioavailability is over 90%, thus allowing switching between oral and intravenous formulations when clinically appropriate. Voriconazole shows nonlinear pharmacokinetics due to its capacity-limited elimination, and its pharmacokinetics are therefore dependent upon the administered dose.

Nature's clarion call of antibacterial resistance: are we listening?

Antibiotic resistance is recognized as a major problem worldwide in the management of infectious disease, both in hospital settings and in the community. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antibiotics, particularly those effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria such as Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, many Enterobacteriaceae, as well as enterococci and staphylococci. There is also a growing need for new agents with activity against resistant community-acquired pathogens.

Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of echinocandins.

The novel class of echinocandins represents a milestone in antifungal drug research that has further expanded our therapeutic options. The favorable pharmacokinetic profile of the echinocandins has been elucidated in animal and human studies. The echinocandins are targeted for once-daily dosing and are not metabolized through the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, and they are generally well tolerated due to lack of mechanism-based toxicity.