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An open-label comparative pilot study of oral voriconazole and itraconazole for long-term treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis.

Author(s): Queiroz-Telles F, Goldani LZ, Schlamm HT, Goodrich JM, Espinel-Ingroff A, Shikanai-Yasuda MA

Affiliation(s): Department of Community Health, Hospital de Clinicas de Curitiba Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil queiroz.telles@uol.com.br

Publication date & source: 2007-12-01, Clin Infect Dis., 45(11):1462-9. Epub 2007 Oct 22.

Publication type: Comparative Study; Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: In previous studies, itraconazole was revealed to be an effective therapy and was considered to be the gold standard treatment for mild-to-moderate acute and chronic clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis. A pilot study was conducted to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of voriconazole for the long-term treatment of acute or chronic paracoccidioidomycosis, with itraconazole as the control treatment. METHODS: A randomized, open-label study was conducted at 3 Brazilian tertiary care hospitals. Patients were randomized (at a 2 : 1 ratio) to receive oral therapy with voriconazole or itraconazole for 6 months. Patients receiving >or=1 dose of study drug were evaluated for safety; patients with confirmed paracoccidioidomycosis who completed >or=6 months of therapy (treatment-evaluable patients) were evaluated for treatment efficacy. Satisfactory global response was assessed at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were evaluated for treatment safety (35 received voriconazole, and 18 received itraconazole). Both drugs were well tolerated. The most common treatment-related adverse events in the voriconazole group included abnormal vision, chromatopsia, rash, and headache; the most common treatment-related adverse events in the itraconazole group included bradycardia, diarrhea, and headache. Liver function test values were slightly higher in patients receiving voriconazole than in those receiving itraconazole; 2 patients in the voriconazole group were withdrawn from treatment because of increased liver function test values. In the intent-to-treat populations, the satisfactory response rate (i.e., complete or partial global response) was 88.6% among the voriconazole group and 94.4% among the itraconazole group. The response rate among treatment-evaluable patients was 100% for both treatment groups; no relapses were observed after 8 weeks of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This is, to our knowledge, the first study to demonstrate that voriconazole is as well tolerated and effective as itraconazole for the long-term treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis.

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