Invasive aspergillosis

Active Ingredient: Caspofungin

Indication for Caspofungin

Population group: only adults (18 years old or older)

Treatment of invasive aspergillosis in adult patients who are refractory to or intolerant of amphotericin B, lipid formulations of amphotericin B and/or itraconazole. Refractoriness is defined as progression of infection or failure to improve after a minimum of 7 days of prior therapeutic doses of effective antifungal therapy.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments:

50-70 mg once daily

Route of admnistration

Intravenous

Defined daily dose

50 - 70 mg

Dosage regimen

From 50 To 70 mg once every day

Loading dose

70 mg

Maintenance dose

50 mg

Detailed description

A single 70 mg loading dose should be administered on Day-1, followed by 50 mg daily thereafter. In patients weighing more than 80 kg, after the initial 70 mg loading dose, caspofungin 70 mg daily is recommended. No dosage adjustment is necessary based on gender or race.

Duration of treatment

Duration of empirical therapy should be based on the patient’s clinical response. Therapy should be continued until up to 72 hours after resolution of neutropaenia (ANC>500). Patients found to have a fungal infection should be treated for a minimum of 14 days and treatment should continue for at least 7 days after both neutropaenia and clinical symptoms are resolved.

Duration of treatment of invasive candidiasis should be based upon the patient’s clinical and microbiological response. After signs and symptoms of invasive candidiasis have improved and cultures have become negative, a switch to oral antifungal therapy may be considered. In general, antifungal therapy should continue for at least 14 days after the last positive culture.

Duration of treatment of invasive aspergillosis is determined on a case by case basis and should be based upon the severity of the patient’s underlying disease, recovery from immunosuppression, and clinical response. In general, treatment should continue for at least 7 days after resolution of symptoms.

The safety information on treatment durations longer than 4 weeks is limited. However, available data suggest that caspofungin continues to be well tolerated with longer courses of therapy (up to 162 days in adult patients and up to 87 days in paediatric patients).

Dosage considerations

It should be administered by slow intravenous infusion over approximately 1 hour.

Active ingredient

Caspofungin

Caspofungin acetate is a semi-synthetic lipopeptide (echinocandin) compound synthesised from a fermentation product of Glarea lozoyensis. Caspofungin acetate inhibits the synthesis of beta (1,3)-D-glucan, an essential component of the cell wall of many filamentous fungi and yeast. Beta (1,3)-D-glucan is not present in mammalian cells.

Read more about Caspofungin

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