Antifungal Drug Development: Challenges, Unmet Clinical Needs, and New Approaches

Terry Roemer; Damian J. Krysan

doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a019703

Antifungal Drug Development: Challenges, Unmet Clinical Needs, and New Approaches

Terry Roemer1 and
Damian J. Krysan2,3

¹Infectious Disease Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033
²Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642
³Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642

Correspondence: damian_krysan{at}urmc.rochester.edu

Abstract

Invasive, life-threatening fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly for patients with compromised immune function. The number of therapeutic options for the treatment of invasive fungal infections is quite limited when compared with those available to treat bacterial infections. Indeed, only three classes of molecules are currently used in clinical practice and only one new class of antifungal drugs has been developed in the last 30 years. Here we summarize the unmet clinical needs of current antifungal therapy, discuss challenges inherent to antifungal drug discovery and development, and review recent developments aimed at addressing some of these challenges.