Experience of Isavuconazole as a Salvage Therapy in Chronic Pulmonary Fungal Disease. 2022

Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
Pharmacy Department, Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6NP, UK.

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.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
March 2016, Medical mycology case reports,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
March 2021, The Pediatric infectious disease journal,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
August 2020, The Pediatric infectious disease journal,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
April 2018, Cureus,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
June 2005, Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
April 2014, Infection,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
April 2021, Transplant infectious disease : an official journal of the Transplantation Society,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
November 1995, Blood,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
February 2019, Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation,
Lisa Nwankwo, and Desmond Gilmartin, and Sheila Matharu, and Ali Nuh, and Jackie Donovan, and Darius Armstrong-James, and Anand Shah
December 2006, Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America,
Copied contents to your clipboard!