Experience of isavuconazole as a salvage therapy in chronic pulmonary fungal disease
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Instances of resistant fungal infection are rising in pulmonary disease, with limited therapeutic options. Therapeutic drug monitoring of azole antifungals has been necessary to ensure safety and efficacy but is considered unnecessary for the newest triazole isavuconazole. Aims: To characterise the prevalence of isavuconazole resistance and use in a tertiary respiratory centre. Methods: A retrospective observational analysis (2016–2021) of adult respiratory patients analysing fungal culture, therapeutic drug monitoring, and outcome post-isavuconazole therapy. Results: During the study period, isavuconazole susceptibility testing was performed on 26 Aspergillus spp. isolates. A total of 80.8% of A. fumigatus isolates had isavuconazole (MIC > 1 mg/L, and 73.0% > 2 mg/L) with a good correlation to voriconazole MIC (r = 0.7, p = 0.0002). A total of 54 patients underwent isavuconazole therapy during the study period (median duration 234 days (IQR: 24–499)). A total of 67% of patients tolerated isavuconazole, despite prior azole toxicity in 61.8%, with increased age (rpb = 0.31; p = 0.021) and male sex (φc = 0.30; p = 0.027) being associated with toxicity. A total of 132 isavuconazole levels were performed with 94.8% > 1 mg/L and 72% > 2 mg/L. Dose change from manufacturer’s recommendation was, however, required in 9.3% to achieve a concentration of >2 mg/L. Conclusion: We describe the use of isavuconazole as a salvage therapy in a chronic pulmonary fungal disease setting with a high prevalence of azole resistance. Therapeutic concentrations at standard dosing were high; however, results reinforce antifungal stewardship for optimization.
Date Issued
2022-03-31
Date Acceptance
2022-03-27
Citation
Journal of Fungi, 2022, 8 (4)
ISSN
2309-608X
Publisher
MDPI
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Fungi
Volume
8
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2022 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
License URL
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Grant Number
MR/T005572/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Microbiology
Mycology
antifungal resistance
isavuconazole
cystic fibrosis
pulmonary disease
aspergillus fumigatus
pulmonary aspergillosis
respiratory disease
antifungal stewardship
therapeutic drug monitoring
minimum inhibitory concentration
MIC
EXTENDED-SPECTRUM TRIAZOLE
ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS
POPULATION PHARMACOKINETICS
AMPHOTERICIN-B
VORICONAZOLE
POSACONAZOLE
PHARMACODYNAMICS
INFECTIONS
ITRACONAZOLE
MULTICENTER
MIC
antifungal resistance
antifungal stewardship
aspergillus fumigatus
cystic fibrosis
isavuconazole
minimum inhibitory concentration
pulmonary aspergillosis
pulmonary disease
respiratory disease
therapeutic drug monitoring
Publication Status
Published