Progress in Antifungal Drugs Development

Overview

The present review paper deals with novel antifungal drugs. The lack of new antifungal drugsascends proportionally to the increasing occurrence of serious infections caused by yeast and fungimainly at immunocompromised or in other way sensitive patients. The topical state of pharmacotherapyis briefly drawn out; most attention is given to newly developed active entities. Establishedagents do not satisfy the medical need completely, azoles are fungistatic and vulnerable to resistance,whereas polyenes cause serious host toxicity. Drugs in clinical development include modified azolesand a new class of echinocandins and pneumocandins. Other promising novel agents in preclinicaldevelopment include several inhibitors of fungal protein, lipid and cell wall syntheses.

Key words:
antimycotics – polyens – azols – echinocandins – sordarins