Safety of  posaconazole.
BACKGROUND
The increasing number of invasive fungal infections (IFI) among immunocompromised hosts is a significant clinical issue. Diagnosis of IFI, choosing among the available antifungal drugs, and the high morbidity/mortality associated with IFI pose clinical challenges for healthcare providers. Besides efficacy, a thorough knowledge of the pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions and safety profile of the antifungal drugs is critical for appropriate drug selection. Among the commonly used triazoles, the recently released posaconazole is relatively less well investigated in terms of its safety. With expanding clinical use of posaconazole, the present review examines the safety of the drug and its propensity for drug-drug interaction.


METHODS
This paper mainly discusses the safety profile of posaconazole, its adverse effects and drug-drug interaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Posaconazole is generally safe and well tolerated. Lack of an intravenous formulation and unpredictable bioavailability of the suspension form are significant factors limiting the widespread use of posaconazole.
Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit Medical Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Detroit, USA. pjacinto@med.wayne.edu
Pauline L
PL
Jacinto
Pranatharthi
P
Chandrasekar
D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D004347:Drug Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014230:Triazoles / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D014230:Triazoles; C101425:posaconazole