Amphotericin B the First Antifungal Drug Approved by the US is Still Used Despite Its Toxicity Problems.DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31571) has announced the addition of Advances in the Treatment of Serious Systemic Fungal Infections--An Update to their offering Business Implications - Many different types of fungi can cause serious systemic infections in humans, and opportunistic fungal infections Fungal infections Several thousand species of fungi have been described, but fewer than 100 are routinely associated with invasive diseases of humans. are now recognized as a major problem in immunocompromised immunocompromised /im·mu·no·com·pro·mised/ (-kom´pro-mizd) having the immune response attenuated by administration of immunosuppressive drugs, by irradiation, by malnutrition, or by certain disease processes (e.g., cancer). patients. In recent years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time number of patients with severe immunosuppression immunosuppression Suppression of immunity with drugs, usually to prevent rejection of an organ transplant. Its aim is to allow the recipient to accept the organ permanently with no unpleasant side effects. has increased dramatically as a result of advances in the life-prolonging treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , cancer, and other conditions. - The first antifungal drug An antifungal drug is medication used to treat fungal infections such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others. Such drugs are usually obtained by a doctor's prescription or purchased over-the-counter. to be approved in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , amphotericin B amphotericin B (ăm'fətĕr`ĭsĭn), antibiotic that halts the growth of several disease-causing fungi. Discovered in 1956, it is produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. , received FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. approval in 1958. Despite its toxicity problems, amphotericin B is still widely used to treat fungal infections, and new formulations are in development. Overall, the antifungal therapeutic market has been stagnating since the introduction of caspofungin (Mercks Cancidas) and voriconazole (Pfizers Vfend), both of which were approved in the United States in 2001. - New azoles and echinocandins are in late-stage development, and many companies have novel antifungals in early stages of development that are based on a wide variety of approaches. Additional research is ongoing to identify novel targets for the treatment of fungal infections. - Other factors are changing the antifungals market. The expiration of the patent for Pfizer's Diflucan (fluconazole fluconazole /flu·con·a·zole/ (floo-kon´ah-zol) a triazoleantifungal used in the systemic treatment of candidiasis and cryptococcal meningitis. flu·con·a·zole n. ) and the emergence of generic versions will have an immediate impact on the competitive landscape. Other influential trends include the growing use of prophylactic and empirical antifungal therapy, and a widening interest in the potential for combination therapy. We anticipate significant changes in the antifungal therapy market over the next few years. Opportunistic fungal infections are a major problem in immunocompromised patients. In recent years, the number of patients with severe immunosuppression has risen dramatically as a result of advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other conditions. Many strains of fungi are developing resistance to current drugs, especially fluconazole. As this public health problem reaches a crisis, the available drugs (polyenes, azoles, pyrimidines, and the emerging echinocandins) have become inadequate to meet the task. Only a few antifungals have received approval in the United States, and these agents have notable limitations, including narrow spectrum of activity, toxicity (side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. ), and emerging fungal resistance. The significant market opportunity for antifungal drugs has attracted many pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies to become involved in R&D. This Decision Resources report gives an overview of opportunistic and endemic fungal pathogens, current therapies, and emerging strategies that aim to treat this growing patient population. Topics Covered Introduction Overview of Common Opportunistic and Endemic Fungal Pathogens Current Therapies for Systemic Fungal Infections Select Emerging Antifungal Therapies and Strategies Prospects for Antifungal Therapies Table 1. Select Fungi That Can Cause Serious Systemic Fungal Infections Table 2. Select Antifungal Drugs for the Treatment of Systemic Fungal Infections Table 3. Select Companies with Antifungals in Clinical Development Table 4. Select Companies with Antifungals in Preclinical Development Table 5. Estimated Worldwide Sales of Antifungal Products, 2003 and 2008 (millions of U.S. dollars) Companies Mentioned - Ace BioSciences and Genmab - Biodelivery Sciences International - Diversa - Ecopia BioSciences - Elitra Pharmaceuticals - Entomed - Enzonb/Zeneus Pharma - Fujisawaa - Genelabs Technologies - Helix BioMedix - Immtech International - Inhibitex - InterMune Pharmaceuticals - Janssen Pharmaceutica - Janssen Pharmaceutica - Merck & Co. - MycoLogics - Paratek Pharmaceuticals - Pfizer - Pfizer - Schering-Plough - Valeant Pharmaceuticals - Vicuron Pharmaceuticals For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31571 |
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