According to 2024 CDC recommendations, an echinocandin is the preferred initial treatment for Candida auris infection in adults and children aged ≥2 months; available options include anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin. Liposomal amphotericin B (5 mg/kg IV daily) should be considered when susceptibility testing indicates echinocandin resistance or when the patient does not improve after 5 days of echinocandin therapy. For infections caused by pan-resistant isolates, the investigational antifungals fosmanogepix or ibrexafungerp may be considered through expanded-access programs, although the CDC states that treatment recommendations for echinocandin-resistant and pan-resistant infections are based on limited evidence. The guidance does not discuss adding flucytosine or provide data supporting flucytosine-containing combination therapy for persistent C. auris fungemia. [1]
With the growing concerns of multi-resistant Candida species, such as Candida auris and some Candida glabrata isolates, and the limited number of antifungal drug classes, recent reviews discussed the ongoing efforts on the development of novel antifungal agents. Ibrexafungerp, a triterpenoid derived from enfumafungin, inhibits the (1,3)-beta-D-glucan synthase. As such, despite its structural difference from echinocandins, both therapeutic classes exhibit fungicidal antifungal activity via the same target. Additionally, as ibrexafungerp has been observed to bind to different binding sites on the target enzyme and only partially overlaps with that of echinocandins, ibrexafungerp can maintain antifungal activity against a majority of FKS-mutant echinocandin resistant isolates. Compared to echinocandins in vitro, ibrexafungerp exerts minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Candida spp. that are relatively higher compared to other echinocandins, except for C. parapsilosis. Murine models also demonstrated oral administration to be effective in treating invasive candidiasis caused by different Candida spp., including C. auris and C. glabrata FKS-mutant isolates. Available clinical data pertaining to the clinical use of ibrexafungerp in various fungal infections are primarily limited to phase II trials. One ongoing open-label phase III study (NCT 03363841) aims to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of oral ibrexafungerp as an emergency use treatment for patients with a documented C. auris infection. While published results are currently unavailable, based on preliminary findings from a conference report, one review states infections were completely resolved (culture negative) in two cases after treatment with ibrexafungerp, including a case with difficult-to-treat C. auris that persisted after treatment with fluconazole and micafungin. The use of ibrexafungerp against C.auris infections and echinocandin-resistant isolates requires further validation in clinical settings. [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]
A phase 2, randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluated the safety and efficacy of two dosing regimens of oral ibrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078) following initial echinocandin therapy in non-neutropenic patients with invasive candidiasis. A diagnosis of invasive candidiasis required a positive blood culture or positive culture from another normally sterile site for Candida, collected prior to the start of echinocandin treatment; patients with Candida endocarditis, endophthalmitis, osteomyelitis, meningitis, or chronic disseminated candidiasis were potential candidates for inclusion, as well as patients who received > 10 days of echinocandin therapy prior to enrollment. Patients who were eligible received initial therapy with an echinocandin for 3-10 days. Those who were clinically stable, afebrile for at least 24 hours, had negative blood cultures for at least 48 hours, and could receive oral medications were randomized 1:1:1 to receive oral ibrexafungerp 1,000 mg on day 1 followed by 500 mg daily; oral ibrexafungerp 1,250 mg on day 1 followed by 750 mg daily, or standard of care (oral fluconazole 800 mg, as a single dose, on day 1 followed by 400 mg once daily or intravenous micafungin 100 mg once daily, as per in vitro susceptibility results). Population pharmacokinetic analysis observed that an ibrexafungerp 750 mg regimen is predicted to achieve the target exposure in approximately 85% of the population. Rates of adverse events were similar between the ibrexafungerp groups and the fluconazole group. All groups had similar favorable response rates: 86% for ibrexafungerp 750 mg vs.71% for both fluconazole and ibrexafungerp 500 mg. Of note, the frequency of different Candida isolates and antifungal susceptibility was not reported within the population. [7]
A 2020 in vitro study investigated the susceptibility of pan-resistant C.auris isolates to ibrexafungerp and other antifungal agents. The study highlighted that prior laboratory tests on ibrexafungerp demonstrated its broad effectiveness against various Candida species, including fluconazole-resistant C. albicans and C. auris. In addition to ibrexafungerp, the study examined several other antifungal drugs, namely fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, isavuconazole, posaconazole, anidulafungin, caspofungin, micafungin, amphotericin B, and flucytosine. The results indicated that all five pan-resistant C. auris isolates exhibited susceptibility to ibrexafungerp, with low MICs ranging from 0.12 to 1. Among the 195 C. auris isolates with varying degrees of antifungal resistance, the average ibrexafungerp MIC was determined to be 0.407 mcg/mL. Notably, one C. auris isolate showed a higher ibrexafungerp MIC of 8. The range of ibrexafungerp MICs observed in this study aligns well with serum concentrations achievable according to previous preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations, as well as murine models of disseminated candidiasis. The study emphasized the remarkable characteristics of C. auris, such as its nearly universal resistance to fluconazole, as well as unusually elevated resistance to azoles, echinocandins, and amphotericin B. The exact mechanisms underlying these resistance patterns remain unclear. The findings of this study underscore the need for further comprehensive assessments of ibrexafungerp, including expanded clinical trials, to gain deeper insights into its therapeutic potential for combating C. auris infections. [8]
Another 2020 study evaluated the in vitro activity of ibrexafungerp against C. auris isolates, including those that were both highly fluconazole- and echinocandin-resistant, compared to six comparator antifungal agents (anidulafungin, micafungin, amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, and isavuconazole); in vitro activity against C. albicans and C. glabrata were tested as well. Three C. auris reference strains, and 122 C. auris, 16 C. albicans, and 16 C. glabrata isolates were included. Ibrexafungerp MICs against the 122 C. auris isolates ranged from 0.06 to 2 mg/L, with an MIC50 of 0.5 mg/L, showing uniform susceptibility. Eight isolates displayed high MICs to anidulafungin (4 to 32 mg/L) and micafungin (32 mg/L); these isolates harbored fks alterations and all displayed wild-type susceptibility to ibrexafungerp (MIC 0.25 mg/L [n= 3] or 0.5 mg/L [n= 5]). Except for one isolate, all were fluconazole-resistant and showed variable susceptibility to voriconazole and isavuconazole. Against the C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates, modal MICs of ibrexafungerp were 0.06 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L, respectively. [9]