A NEW PHARMACEUTICAL CONCEPT FOR THE TREATMENT OF OROPHARYNGEAL AND ESOPHAGEAL CANDIDOSIS WITH FLUCONAZOLE

Administration of fluconazole in capsule form has proved effective in the prophylaxis and treatment of mucosal candidosis, particularly in i mmunosuppressed patients. An additional topical effect in oropharyngea l and oesophageal candidosis might be expected with a fluconazole susp ension. This hypothesis was therefore tested in a crossover study in 1 2 healthy volunteers in whom the concentrations of the antimycotic wer e measured in saliva and plasma after oral administration of 100 mg fl uconazole as either a capsule or a suspension. The time courses of the fluconazole concentrations were very similar with the two formulation s in plasma, but significantly different in saliva. Thus, the mean C-m ax for fluconazole in saliva of 551 mu g ml(-1) was reached 5 min afte r ingestion of the suspension, compared with a value of 3 mu g ml(-1) some 4 h after taking the capsule. The mean concentration of the antim ycotic in saliva over the observation period (0-96 h) was more than 80 % higher with the suspension than with the capsule.