Reduction in the nephrotoxicity of amphotericin B when administered in 20% intralipid

S Salama1, C Rotstein

  • 1Departments of Pharmacy and Medicine, The Henderson General Division, Hamilton Civic Hospitals and the Division of Infectious Diseases, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

The administration of amphotericin B (AmB) is often limited by the development of nephrotoxicity. In a pilot crossover trial, aqueous AmB followed by a new preparation of a mixture of AmB with 20% intralipid (AmB-IL) was administered to 10 immunocompromised patients for systemic fungal infections caused by Candida species. Mean total dose and duration of therapy with AmB-IL exceeded that of aqueous AmB (649±165 mg versus 394±105 mg, P=0.061 and 13.2±2.5 days versus 9±2.1 days, P=0.31). However, mean creatinine clearance of the patients rose during AmB-IL therapy by 10.7±7.7 mL/min (P=0.03). AmB-IL warrants further investigation to assess its stability and efficacy for treating serious fungal infections.

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