Investigational antifungal agents

Several new antifungal agents, including novel compounds in familiar classe s and entirely new classes targeting previously untapped mechanisms, are in various stages of the drug development process. Many new triazole antifung al agents are being studied, including voriconazole, posaconazole, and ravu conazole. The echinocandin antifungals, which represent a new class of anti fungal agents, possess activity against a variety of fungal pathogens. The sodarin derivatives and nikkomycins are two additional classes of antifunga ls in early stages of development; future studies will determine their ther apeutic usefulness.