Lafaurie M, Lapalu J, Raffoux E et al. Clin Microbiol Infect 2010;16:1191–6.
In this study, the authors sought to determine the efficacy of antifungal agents for preventing breakthrough invasive aspergillosis (IA) in a cohort of patients with persistent fever and neutropenia who received empirical antifungal therapy. Caspofungin was the most prescribed antifungal agent, followed by liposomal amphotericin B. Six of 49 patients developed possible or probable IA, all of whom were on caspofungin. These results suggest a high rate of breakthrough IA in patients receiving caspofungin.
Since its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in the empirical therapy of patients with persistent fever and neutropenia, the use of caspofungin for the treatment of suspected or documented invasive fungal infections has increased. In the current study, the authors described the caspofungin prescription pattern at a tertiary care hospital in France.