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Clinical and Pharmacokinetic Studies of Continuous Itraconazole for the Treatment of Onychomycosis
Author(s) -
Kawada Akira,
Aragane Yoshinori,
Tezuka Tadashi
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2004.tb00516.x
Subject(s) - itraconazole , pharmacokinetics , nail (fastener) , pharmacology , antifungal , nail disease , medicine , active metabolite , dermatology , paronychia , materials science , metallurgy
Itraconazole, a triazole antifungal agent, has been widely used for onychomycosis with high cure rates. Unchanged itraconazole and a major metabolite hydroxy‐itraconazole reach the nail with a strong affinity for keratin. The aim of this study was to elucidate clinical effectiveness and pharmacokinetic profiles of a 6‐month continuous itraconazole treatment at a daily dose of 100 mg. Nail growth, the decrease in nail turbidity, and the nail concentrations of unchanged‐ and hydroxy‐itraconazole were investigated. The affected nails we examined demonstrated nail growth proportional to the decrease in turbidity and a quick increase in drug concentration with a long duration of a high concentration after cessation. Our results support the hypothesis that this continuous therapy is a good modality for onychomycosis.