An Observational Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Voriconazole in a Real-Life Clinical Setting

J Chemother. 2019 Feb;31(1):49-57. doi: 10.1080/1120009X.2018.1524085. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Abstract

An observational retrospective study in patients treated with voriconazole was made to evaluate outcomes, safety, drug interactions and characteristics of the treatment. A total of 96 patients were included. In 78.12%, at least one inducer or enzyme inhibitor was detected. The most frequently observed potential interaction was the simultaneous administration of omeprazole. A large number of patients were concurrently treated with corticosteroids. The simultaneous administration of drugs acting as CYP450 enzyme inhibitors was associated with a higher risk of toxicity while concomitant administration of corticosteroids seemed a protective factor. Our study is one of the few ones, which evaluate the use of voriconazole in a real life clinical setting. We demonstrate the wide variety of strategies in the voriconazole using and the large number of dugs that are susceptible to pharmacokinetic interactions. This study reinforces the need to implement voriconazole pharmacokinetic monitoring in order to optimize antifungal treatment.

Keywords: Antifungal treatment; Drug interactions; Fungal infections; Safety; Voriconazole.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antifungal Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Drug Interactions
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycoses / drug therapy*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Voriconazole / adverse effects*
  • Voriconazole / pharmacokinetics
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Voriconazole