Caspofungin Clears Fungal Infections in Children as in Adults

[Guest guest]

Caspofungin Clears Fungal Infections in Children as in Adults:

Presented at IDSA

DG News

By Ed Susman

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF68525737

00065D6C0

SAN DIEGO, CA -- October 10, 2007 -- Pediatric patients with

documented fungal infections respond to treatment with caspofungin

in a manner similar to adults, researchers noted here at the 45th

Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

" We were able to clear bloodstream candidiasis infections in 22 of

27 children using once-daily intravenous caspofungin, " said Theoklis

Zaoutis, MD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Epidemiology,

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania,

Philadelphia.

In addition, Dr. Zaoutis said that one child with a Candida

infection of the esophagus and five of 10 children with invasive

aspergillosis responded favorably to treatment with caspofungin. " We

did not have to stop treatment due to adverse events in this

pediatric population, " he said, " nor did we observe any drug

reactions in the children. "

The 38 children treated in the Phase II study included infants as

young as 3 months to adolescents as old as 17. The children were

being treated for various reasons: with chemotherapy for cancer,

with immunosuppressive drugs in organ-transplants, and with long-

term steroids for various disease states, Dr. Zaoutis said at his

oral presentation on October 7th.

" The use of caspofungin in pediatric patients is investigational, "

Dr. Zaoutis added. " What we have observed in this study is that

fungal infections in children respond to caspofungin about the same

as in adults. " He noted that aspergillosis remains a stubborn

infection in both populations.

Overall, 39 patients were included in the trial, but just 38 had

proven fungal infections. Since compiling these statistics, Dr.

Zaoutis said about 50 children have been treated under the trial

protocol.

Favorable response was determined based on complete clearance of

bloodstream infection, as in the case of patients with candidemia or

significant clinical changes such as reduction in fever and, where

appropriate, microbiological or radiographic/endoscopic improvement.

One patient relapsed after 4 weeks post-therapy.

Duration of treatment was individualized for each patient, in

accordance with IDSA practice guidelines. The mean duration of

treatment for patients with invasive aspergillosis was 42.7 days,

12.3 days for invasive candidiasis and 32 days for esophageal

candidiasis.

This study was funded by Merck.

[Presentation title: Prospective, Multicenter Study of Caspofungin

(CAS) for Treatment (Rx) of Documented Fungal Infections in

Pediatric Patients (Ped Pts). Abstract 1221]