Emerging topical onychomycosis therapies - quo vadis?
BACKGROUND
Onychomycosis, a common chronic fungal infection affecting fingernails and toenails, globally may affect 10 - 30% of the population. This chronic disease is difficult to eradicate. The goal of developing a highly effective and safe topical treatment has not yet been reached as it depends on the type of onychomycosis and the variety of invaders.


METHODS
Topical drug delivery to the nail is highly desirable in treating nail disorders. However, efficacy of topical therapies is low due to their limited permeability across the nail plate. Advances have especially been made by the development of new therapeutic options including new drug entities, new formulations and reformulations. This overview updates emerging topical treatments for onychomycosis, research progress and future perspectives.


CONCLUSIONS
Development of novel effective noninvasive topical therapy for treating onychomycosis and other nail diseases such as psoriasis is long overdue. Previously there was a lack of basic knowledge about nail and its barrier properties, but with the recent increased interest in this field both from industry and academia, we hope extensive research will continue in this field to bring about successful and safe treatments for such chronic diseases.
University of California, School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology , 90 Medical Center Way, San Francisco, CA 94143 , USA +1 415 476 4997 ; +1 415 753 5304 ; relkeeb@yahoo.com.
Rania
R
Elkeeb
Xiaoying
X
Hui
Narasimha
N
Murthy
Howard I
HI
Maibach
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015195:Drug Design; D005533:Foot Dermatoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010539:Permeability
D000935:Antifungal Agents
emerging therapies; nail penetration; onychomycosis; topical; ungual drug delivery