[Present problems and future trend of antifungals for deep seated mycosis. Azole antifungal agents]

Azole antifungal agents are the most common drugs for the treatment of deep seated mycosis throughout the world, because of their favorable anti-fungal spectrum, pharmacokinetics and safety. However there are some weak points in each drug or class, such as emerging resistance or interactions with other drugs. Many new derivatives are now under pre-clinical and clinical evaluation and among them, voriconazole and SCH56592 are showing satisfactory results in their early clinical studies. At the same time, however the ability of doctors to make an appropriate and logical choice for use of these drugs also essential.