| Indication |
For use in the treatment of the following fungal infections: Candidemia and other forms of Candida infections (intra-abdominal abscess, and peritonitis), Aspergillus infections, and esophageal candidiasis. Also considered an alternative treatment for oropharyngeal canaidiasis. |
| Mechanism of action |
Anidulafungin is a semi-synthetic echinocandin with antifungal activity. Anidulafungin inhibits glucan synthase, an enzyme present in fungal, but not mammalian cells. This results in inhibition of the formation of 1,3-β-D-glucan, an essential component of the fungal cell wall, ultimately leading to osmotic instability and cell death. |
| Absorption |
Not Available |
| Protein binding |
84% |
| Biotransformation |
Hepatic metabolism of anidulafungin has not been observed. Anidulafungin is not a clinically relevant substrate, inducer, or inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isoenzymes. Anidulafungin undergoes slow chemical degradation at physiologic temperature and pH to a ring-opened peptide that lacks antifungal activity. |
| Route of elimination |
Less than 1% of the administered radioactive dose was excreted in the urine. Anidulafungin is not hepatically metabolized. |
| Toxicity |
During clinical trials a single 400 mg dose of anidulafungin was inadvertently administered as a loading dose. No clinical adverse events were reported. The maximum non-lethal dose of anidulafungin in rats was 50 mg/kg, a dose which is equivalent to 10 times the recommended daily dose for esophageal candidiasis (50mg/day). |
| Affected organisms |
- Aspergillis, Candida and other fungi
|