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Scientists in Scotland have completed in vitro tests showing that using an echinocandin drug with an antimicrobial peptide provides a synergistic combination for treating a fungal infection.
Such combination therapy potentially offers a new route to targeting fungal infections, including those caused by highly resistant fungi, including Candida glabrata.
Combination therapy leads to less drug resistance compared to single use drugs, while synergistic activity in combination therapy allows lower concentrations of expensive echinocandin drugs to be used, reducing potential toxicity and side effects and the cost of treatment.
Echinocandin drugs, such as caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin, are first-line antifungal treatments for Candida and Aspergillus infections, but have limited effect on a broader range of fungal infections. Combination therapy could widen the applications for echinocandin drugs and lead to better, lower cost therapies for patients.
A UK patent application was filed on 18 September 2008, application number 0817121.7. This was followed by a PCT application PCT/GB2009/002226 in 2009.
For more information, visit the project’s page at: http://www.university-technology.com/details/synergistic-antifungal-combination
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