title: Spotlight on tavaborole for the treatment of onychomycosis.
abstract: Onychomycosis is a fungal nail plate infection that has been increasing in prevalence. A variety of oral and topical anti-fungal agents are currently available but their use is limited by their adverse effect profile, drug-drug interactions, and limited efficacy. Therefore, there is a great need for newer anti-fungal agents. Tavaborole is one of these newer agents and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in July 2014 for the topical treatment of mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis. Tavaborole is a novel, boron-based anti-fungal agent with greater nail plate penetration than its predecessors, due to its smaller molecular weight. It has proven through several Phase II and III trials that it can be a safe and effective topical agent for the treatment of mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis without the need for debridement. In this paper, we review the landscape of topical and systemic treatment of onychomycosis, with particular attention to the pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of topical tavaborole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Sphoorthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jinna
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finch
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017277:Drug Approval; D005533:Foot Dermatoses / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001896:Boron Compounds; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; C512998:tavaborole
keywords: boron-based antifungals; onychomycosis; oxaboroles; tavaborole