Anidulafungin in the treatment of patients with invasive candidiasis.

Echinocandins have emerged as important agents for the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Forthcoming guidelines are expected to recommend an echinocandin agent as initial primary therapy in patients who are severely ill and/or have risk factors for azole resistance. Amphotericin B deoxycholate and fluconazole should be considered for initial therapy in specific populations. The echinocandin, anidulafungin, has been shown to have higher response rates compared with fluconazole in patients with invasive candidiasis. Additionally, patients treated with anidulafungin compared with patients receiving fluconazole have exhibited a trend toward improved survival. The three echinocandins (anidulafungin, caspofungin and micafungin) offer proven efficacy along with excellent side-effect profiles. While these three drugs have important differences, the empirical selection of an echinocandin should be based on the specific patient population, including clinical status, the suspected pathogen, and the susceptibility pattern at the institution. Once the Candida species is identified and its susceptibility is determined, clinicians should consider step-down therapy to either fluconazole or voriconazole, with possible conversion from intravenous to oral therapy.