Clinical pharmacodynamics of antifungals

Abstract

Application of pharmacodynamic principles to antifungal drugs has provided an understanding of the relationship between drug dosing and treatment outcomes similar to that observed in antibacterial pharmacodynamics. Initial observations with triazole pharmacodynamics have correlated with clinical trial results and proved useful for validation of in vitro susceptibility breakpoints. Pharmacodynamic studies have been invaluable for clinical trial dosing design for numerous antibacterial drugs in the development stage. More recently, pharmacodynamics has been used for the development of treatment guidelines. Although there remain many unanswered questions regarding antifungal pharmacodynamics, available data suggest usefulness in the application of pharmacodynamics to antifungal clinical development.