A retrospective analysis of voriconazole pharmacokinetics in Japanese pediatric and adolescent patients

Voriconazole (VFEND®) is a triazole antifungal agent which inhibits the biosynthesis of ergosterol, a fungal cell membrane component. In Japan, voriconazole has become a commonly used antimicrobial in off-label use for pediatric patients. The aims of this report were to provide information about voriconazole pharmacokinetics (PK) in Japanese pediatric and adolescent patients, and to explore relationships between the PK, administered dose, and laboratory test results. In total, data from 24 pediatric or adolescent patients (18 males and 6 females) were used for the analysis. For the measurement of plasma voriconazole concentrations, 103 blood samples were collected from the 24 patients. As a whole, median plasma voriconazole concentrations following intravenous and oral administrations were comparable, and the trough plasma concentrations at steady state (C12,ss) increased with increasing voriconazole doses (mg/kg). However, no systematic trend was observed between C12,ss and laboratory test results.