The systemic treatment of onychomycosis.

The systemic treatment of fungal infections has changed considerably over the past 10 to 20 years. Griseofulvin, the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the systemic treatment of onychomycosis, has a cure rate that seldom exceeds 40%. Many new drugs are targeting the three main kinds of drug therapy for fungal nails: reduction of treatment times, improvement of cure rates with a minimum of side effects, and the achievement of long-term remissions in recalcitrant infections. As the public becomes aware of newer therapies, we will see more patients with nail infections. Although these new agents for superficial fungal infections are not yet approved in the United States, they have been used extensively in Europe.