Current Antimycotics, New Prospects, and Future Approaches to Antifungal Therapy

Abstract

Fungal infections represent an increasing threat to a growing number of immune- and medically compromised patients. Fungi are eukaryotic organisms and, as such, there is a limited number of selective targets that can be exploited for antifungal drug development. This has also resulted in a very restricted number of antifungal drugs that are clinically available for the treatment of invasive fungal infections at the present time-polyenes, azoles, echinocandins, and flucytosine. Moreover, the utility of available antifungals is limited by toxicity, drug interactions and the emergence of resistance, which contribute to high morbidity and mortality rates. This review will present a brief summary on the landscape of current antifungals and those at different stages of clinical development. We will also briefly touch upon potential new targets and opportunities for novel antifungal strategies to combat the threat of fungal infections.

Keywords: antifungal agents; antifungal drug development; fungal infections.

Figure 1

Simplified schematic diagram depicting the current antifungals and their modes of action.