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An improved number of anti-fungal drugs are currently available for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis (IA). While serial galactomannan index (GMI) measurement can be used to monitor response to treatment, the extent to which different anti-fungal regimens can affect galactomannan levels is unknown. In 147 IA patients receiving either voriconazole (VCZ) or conventional amphotericin B (CAB) in a multicentre clinical trial, we performed post-hoc analyses of GMI trends in relation to outcomes. The generalized estimation equations approach was used to estimate changes in the effect size for GMI over time within patients. Patients who received VCZ primary therapy and had good treatment response 12 weeks later showed earlier decreases in GMI values at Week 1 and Week 2 (p = 0.001 and 0.046 respectively) as compared to patients who only received CAB. At end-of-randomized therapy (EORT), which was a pre-set secondary assessment point for all patients who switched from randomized primary (CAB or VCZ) to an alternative anti-fungal drug, treatment failure was associated with increasing GMI at Weeks 1 and 2 in CAB-primary treated patients (p = 0.022 and 0.046 respectively). These distinct trends highlight the variations in GMI kinetics with the use of different anti-fungal drugs and their implications in relation to IA treatment response.

Incidence and mortality of candidaemia/invasive candidiasis (C/IC) is relatively high in Latin America versus North America and Europe. To assess efficacy and safety of intravenous (IV) anidulafungin in Latin American adults with documented C/IC. All patients in this open-label study received initial IV anidulafungin with optional step-down to oral voriconazole after 5 days; total treatment duration was 14-42 days. The primary endpoint was global response (clinical + microbiological response) at end of treatment (EOT); missing/indeterminate responses were failures. The study enrolled 54 patients; 44 had confirmed C/IC within 96 h before study entry and comprised the modified intent-to-treat population. Global response at EOT was 59.1% (95% CI: 44.6, 73.6), with 13 missing/indeterminate assessments. Thirty-day all-cause mortality was 43.1%. Fourteen patients (31.8%) were able to step-down to oral voriconazole; these patients had lower baseline acute physiological assessment and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores and were less likely to have solid tumours or previous abdominal surgery. Anidulafungin was generally well tolerated with few treatment-related adverse events. Anidulafungin was associated with relatively low response rates influenced by a high rate of missing/indeterminate assessments and mortality comparable to other recent candidaemia studies in Latin America. In a subset of patients with lower APACHE II scores, short-course anidulafungin followed by oral voriconazole was successful., (© 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Antifungal prophylaxis for allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplant (alloHCT) recipients should prevent invasive mould and yeast infections (IFIs) and be well tolerated. This prospective, randomized, open-label, multicentre study compared the efficacy and safety of voriconazole (234 patients) versus itraconazole (255 patients) in alloHCT recipients. The primary composite endpoint, success of prophylaxis, incorporated ability to tolerate study drug for ≥ 100 d (with ≤ 14 d interruption) with survival to day 180 without proven/probable IFI. Success of prophylaxis was significantly higher with voriconazole than itraconazole (48·7% vs. 33·2%, P < 0·01); more voriconazole patients tolerated prophylaxis for 100 d (53·6% vs. 39·0%, P < 0·01; median total duration 96 vs. 68 d). The most common (>10%) treatment-related adverse events were vomiting (16·6%), nausea (15·8%) and diarrhoea (10·4%) for itraconazole, and hepatotoxicity/liver function abnormality (12·9%) for voriconazole. More itraconazole patients received other systemic antifungals (41·9% vs. 29·9%, P < 0·01). There was no difference in incidence of proven/probable IFI (1·3% vs. 2·1%) or survival to day 180 (81·9% vs. 80·9%) for voriconazole and itraconazole respectively. Voriconazole was superior to itraconazole as antifungal prophylaxis after alloHCT, based on differences in the primary composite endpoint. Voriconazole could be given for significantly longer durations, with less need for other systemic antifungals., (2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Background: Assessment of response to invasive aspergillosis (IA) therapy has been challenging in treatment trials., Methods: The causes of death over 12 weeks were categorized prospectively by a blinded data review committee using a priori defined criteria in participants in a randomized comparative trial of voriconazole versus amphotericin B as first-line therapy of proven or probable IA., Results: Death occurred in 98 of 277 patients during the 12-week course of study. Seventy-three of the 98 deaths (74%) occurred in the first 6 weeks; 25 deaths occurred during the second 6 weeks. Of the 73 deaths during the first 6 weeks, 50 (68%) were judged to be attributable to IA. Of the 25 deaths during the second 6 weeks, only 6 (24%) were judged to be attributable to IA. Fifty of the 56 deaths (89%) attributable to IA occurred during the first 6 weeks., Conclusions: These data suggest that most deaths due to IA occur during the first 6 weeks after the start of therapy and 6 weeks may be a better interval to judge the effectiveness of antifungal therapy because most deaths after 6 weeks are due to causes related to the underlying disease and its treatment rather than due to IA. Attributable mortality when assessed using a priori definitions and conducted in a blinded manner by a central data review committee can be useful in the assessment of IA therapy., ((c) 2008 American Cancer Society.)

Purpose: The comparative cost-effectiveness of voriconazole and amphotericin B in the treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) was examined., Methods: A decision-tree model was constructed comparing 12-week treatment outcomes in a subset of patients enrolled in a clinical trial comparing initial treatment of IPA with amphotericin B versus voriconazole. Patients included those with IPA who underwent a thoracic computed tomographic (CT) scan at baseline. Cost and survival were estimated for those with and without a halo sign at baseline. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios comparing voriconazole with amphotericin B were calculated for both patient subgroups., Results: Patients with a halo sign had similar costs and better survival rates than those without the sign. Within the subgroup of patients with the sign, total costs were lower and survival rates higher for those treated with voriconazole than for those treated with amphotericin B. For patients without a halo sign, total costs and survival rates were higher for those treated with voriconazole versus amphotericin B., Conclusion: Among patients treated for IPA, those with a baseline CT halo sign, an early indicator of the condition, appeared to have better survival rates and lower health care costs compared with patients without the sign. In patients with the halo sign, survival rates were higher and costs were lower when voriconazole rather than amphotericin B was used as first-line treatment; survival was better with voriconazole than with amphotericin B when the halo sign was not present. Voriconazole was cost-effective compared with amphotericin B when the halo sign was present, but voriconazole's cost-effectiveness when the sign was not present depended on the cost per life saved.

Background: In previous studies, itraconazole was revealed to be an effective therapy and was considered to be the gold standard treatment for mild-to-moderate acute and chronic clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis. A pilot study was conducted to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of voriconazole for the long-term treatment of acute or chronic paracoccidioidomycosis, with itraconazole as the control treatment., Methods: A randomized, open-label study was conducted at 3 Brazilian tertiary care hospitals. Patients were randomized (at a 2 : 1 ratio) to receive oral therapy with voriconazole or itraconazole for 6 months. Patients receiving >or=1 dose of study drug were evaluated for safety; patients with confirmed paracoccidioidomycosis who completed >or=6 months of therapy (treatment-evaluable patients) were evaluated for treatment efficacy. Satisfactory global response was assessed at the end of treatment., Results: Fifty-three patients were evaluated for treatment safety (35 received voriconazole, and 18 received itraconazole). Both drugs were well tolerated. The most common treatment-related adverse events in the voriconazole group included abnormal vision, chromatopsia, rash, and headache; the most common treatment-related adverse events in the itraconazole group included bradycardia, diarrhea, and headache. Liver function test values were slightly higher in patients receiving voriconazole than in those receiving itraconazole; 2 patients in the voriconazole group were withdrawn from treatment because of increased liver function test values. In the intent-to-treat populations, the satisfactory response rate (i.e., complete or partial global response) was 88.6% among the voriconazole group and 94.4% among the itraconazole group. The response rate among treatment-evaluable patients was 100% for both treatment groups; no relapses were observed after 8 weeks of follow-up., Conclusions: This is, to our knowledge, the first study to demonstrate that voriconazole is as well tolerated and effective as itraconazole for the long-term treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the triazole anti-fungal agent, voriconazole, as therapy for systemic Penicillium marneffei infections in patients with advanced HIV infection. Patients with systemic P. marneffei infection were enrolled into a study of voriconazole for the treatment of less common, emerging, or refractory fungal infections. Patients were eligible for inclusion in the study on the basis that no anti-fungal agents have received regulatory approval specifically for P. marneffei infections. Patients were treated in the hospital setting with intravenous voriconazole (6 mg/kg every 12 hours on Day 1 and then 4 mg/kg every 12 hours for at least 3 days, after which patients could switch to oral therapy at 200 mg twice a day) or as outpatients with oral voriconazole (400 mg twice a day on Day 1 and then 200 mg twice a day) for a maximum of 12 weeks. Eleven patients received treatment with voriconazole. Two received short courses of intravenous therapy followed by the oral formulation; nine were treated with oral voriconazole only. At the end of therapy, eight of the nine evaluable patients had favorable response to therapy, based on mycological and clinical findings. There were no relapses of P. marneffei infection in the six patients who were seen at follow-up within 4 weeks of the end of therapy. Treatment with voriconazole was well tolerated, with no discontinuations caused by drug-related adverse events. The results of this study suggest that voriconazole is an effective, well-tolerated, and convenient option for the treatment of systemic infections with P. marneffei.

Background: In a previous randomized trial of voriconazole versus amphotericin B deoxycholate for primary therapy of invasive aspergillosis, voriconazole demonstrated superior efficacy and better survival. In that trial, treatment with voriconazole or amphotericin B deoxycholate could be followed with other licensed antifungal therapies (OLAT). Here, we report the impact of OLAT on the outcome of patients with invasive aspergillosis., Methods: Data on dose, duration, and the reason for switching to the first OLAT were analyzed, and outcome at week 12 was assessed., Results: Fewer patients in the voriconazole group (52 [36%] of 144) switched to OLAT, compared with patients in the amphotericin B deoxycholate group (107 [80%] of 133). Lipid formulations of amphotericin B were the most common OLAT (38% of patients). Switches were made because of intolerance or insufficient response in 70% for patients in the amphotericin B deoxycholate group, compared with 24% of patients in the voriconazole group. Favorable responses to OLAT in the amphotericin B deoxycholate group occurred in only 19% of patients with initial insufficient response and 38% of patients with intolerance. Salvage therapy with a lipid formulation of amphotericin B after initial treatment with amphotericin B deoxycholate was successful for only 30% of patients (14 of 47). Treatment success among patients randomized to receive amphotericin B, including those whose treatment was switched to OLAT, was 32%, compared with 55% among patients who received voriconazole alone (P<.001)., Conclusions: This study highlights the limited efficacy of salvage antifungal therapy, including therapy with lipid formulations of amphotericin B, and demonstrates the importance of effective initial therapy in invasive aspergillosis.

Treatments for invasive fungal infections remain unsatisfactory. We evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of voriconazole as salvage treatment for 273 patients with refractory and intolerant-to-treatment fungal infections and as primary treatment for 28 patients with infections for which there is no approved therapy. Voriconazole was associated with satisfactory global responses in 50% of the overall cohort; specifically, successful outcomes were observed in 47% of patients whose infections failed to respond to previous antifungal therapy and in 68% of patients whose infections have no approved antifungal therapy. In this population at high risk for treatment failure, the efficacy rates for voriconazole were 43.7% for aspergillosis, 57.5% for candidiasis, 38.9% for cryptococcosis, 45.5% for fusariosis, and 30% for scedosporiosis. Voriconazole was well tolerated, and treatment-related discontinuations of therapy or dose reductions occurred for <10% of patients. Voriconazole is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for refractory or less-common invasive fungal infections.

Background: Voriconazole is a broad-spectrum triazole that is active against aspergillus species. We conducted a randomized trial to compare voriconazole with amphotericin B for primary therapy of invasive aspergillosis., Methods: In this randomized, unblinded trial, patients received either intravenous voriconazole (two doses of 6 mg per kilogram of body weight on day 1, then 4 mg per kilogram twice daily for at least seven days) followed by 200 mg orally twice daily or intravenous amphotericin B deoxycholate (1 to 1.5 mg per kilogram per day). Other licensed antifungal treatments were allowed if the initial therapy failed or if the patient had an intolerance to the first drug used. A complete or partial response was considered to be a successful outcome., Results: A total of 144 patients in the voriconazole group and 133 patients in the amphotericin B group with definite or probable aspergillosis received at least one dose of treatment. In most of the patients, the underlying condition was allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation, acute leukemia, or other hematologic diseases. At week 12, there were successful outcomes in 52.8 percent of the patients in the voriconazole group (complete responses in 20.8 percent and partial responses in 31.9 percent) and 31.6 percent of those in the amphotericin B group (complete responses in 16.5 percent and partial responses in 15.0 percent; absolute difference, 21.2 percentage points; 95 percent confidence interval, 10.4 to 32.9). The survival rate at 12 weeks was 70.8 percent in the voriconazole group and 57.9 percent in the amphotericin B group (hazard ratio, 0.59; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 0.88). Voriconazole-treated patients had significantly fewer severe drug-related adverse events, but transient visual disturbances were common with voriconazole (occurring in 44.8 percent of patients)., Conclusions: In patients with invasive aspergillosis, initial therapy with voriconazole led to better responses and improved survival and resulted in fewer severe side effects than the standard approach of initial therapy with amphotericin B., (Copyright 2002 Massachusetts Medical Society)