Voriconazole

Usual Dosing (Adults)

(IV): 6 mg/kg IV q12h x 2 doses, then 4 mg/kg q12h.

(Oral):
>40kg: 200mg (up to 300mg) po q12h.
<40 kg: 100 mg (up to 150mg) po q12h.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION:
Administration
VFEND Tablets or Oral Suspension should be taken at least one hour before, or one hour following, a meal.

VFEND I.V. for Injection requires reconstitution to 10 mg/mL and subsequent dilution to 5 mg/mL or less prior to administration as an infusion, at a maximum rate of 3 mg/kg per hour over 1–2 hours (see Intravenous Administration).

NOT FOR IV BOLUS INJECTION
Use of VFEND I.V. with other Parenteral Drug Products

Blood products and concentrated electrolytes
VFEND I.V. must not be infused concomitantly with any blood product or short-term infusion of concentrated electrolytes, even if the two infusions are running in separate intravenous lines (or cannulas). Electrolyte disturbances such as hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia should be corrected prior to initiation of VFEND therapy (see package insert for PRECAUTIONS).

Intravenous solutions containing (non-concentrated) electrolytes
VFEND I.V. can be infused at the same time as other intravenous solutions containing (non-concentrated) electrolytes, but must be infused through a separate line.

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
VFEND I.V. can be infused at the same time as total parenteral nutrition, but must be infused in a separate line. If infused through a multiple-lumen catheter, TPN needs to be administered using a different port from the one used for VFEND I.V.

Use in Adults
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Invasive aspergillosis and serious fungal infections due to Fusarium spp. and Scedosporium apiospermum

For the treatment of adults with invasive aspergillosis and infections due to Fusarium spp. and Scedosporium apiospermum, therapy must be initiated with the specified loading dose regimen of intravenous VFEND to achieve plasma concentrations on Day 1 that are close to steady state. On the basis of high oral bioavailability, switching between intravenous and oral administration is appropriate when clinically indicated (see package insert for CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY). Once the patient can tolerate medication given by mouth, the oral tablet form or oral suspension form of VFEND may be utilized. (See Table below.)

Candidemia in nonneutropenic patients and other deep tissue Candida infections
See Table below. Patients should be treated for at least 14 days following resolution of symptoms or following last positive culture, whichever is longer.

Esophageal Candidiasis
See Table below. Patients should be treated for a minimum of 14 days and for at least 7 days following resolution of symptoms.

Recommended Dosing Regimen

Infection	Loading dose	Maintenance Dose
	IV	IV	Oral*
Invasive Aspergillosis	6 mg/kg q12h for the first 24 hours	4 mg/kg q12h	200 mg q12h
Candidemia in nonneutropenic patients and other deep tissue Candida infections	6 mg/kg q12h for the first 24 hours	3–4 mg/kg q12h †	200 mg q12h
Esophageal Candidiasis	‡	‡	200 mg q12h
Scedosporiosis and Fusariosis	6 mg/kg q12h for the first 24 hours	4 mg/kg q12h	200 mg q12h
*Patients who weigh 40 kg or more should receive an oral maintenance dose of 200 mg VFEND every 12 hours. Adult patients who weigh less than 40 kg should receive an oral maintenance dose of 100 mg every 12 hours. † In clinical trials, patients with candidemia received 3 mg/kg q12h as primary therapy, while patients with other deep tissue Candida infections received 4 mg/kg as salvage therapy. Appropriate dose should be based on the severity and nature of the infection. ‡ Not evaluated in patients with esophageal candidiasis.

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Dosage Adjustment
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If patient response is inadequate, the oral maintenance dose may be increased from 200 mg every 12 hours to 300 mg every 12 hours. For adult patients weighing less than 40 kg, the oral maintenance dose may be increased from 100 mg every 12 hours to 150 mg every 12 hours. If patients are unable to tolerate 300 mg orally every 12 hours, reduce the oral maintenance dose by 50 mg steps to a minimum of 200 mg every 12 hours (or to 100 mg every 12 hours for adult patients weighing less than 40 kg).

If patients are unable to tolerate 4 mg/kg IV, reduce the intravenous maintenance dose to 3 mg/kg every 12 hours.

Phenytoin may be coadministered with VFEND if the intravenous maintenance dose of VFEND is increased to 5 mg/kg every 12 hours, or the oral maintenance dose is increased from 200 mg to 400 mg every 12 hours (100 mg to 200 mg every 12 hours in adult patients weighing less than 40 kg) (see package insert: CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, PRECAUTIONS - Drug Interactions).

When voriconazole is coadministered with efavirenz, the voriconazole maintenance dose should be increased to 400 mg Q12h and the efavirenz dose should be decreased to 300 mg Q24h. When treatment with voriconazole is stopped, the initial dosage of efavirenz should be restored (see package insert: CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and PRECAUTIONS – Drug Interactions).

Duration of therapy should be based on the severity of the patient's underlying disease, recovery from immunosuppression, and clinical response.

Use in Geriatric Patients
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No dose adjustment is necessary for geriatric patients.

Use in Patients with Hepatic Insufficiency
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In the clinical program, patients were included who had baseline liver function tests (ALT, AST) up to 5 times the upper limit of normal. No dose adjustment is necessary in patients with this degree of abnormal liver function, but continued monitoring of liver function tests for further elevations is recommended.

It is recommended that the standard loading dose regimens be used but that the maintenance dose be halved in patients with mild to moderate hepatic cirrhosis (Child-Pugh Class A and B).

VFEND has not been studied in patients with severe hepatic cirrhosis (Child-Pugh Class C) or in patients with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C disease. VFEND has been associated with elevations in liver function tests and clinical signs of liver damage, such as jaundice, and should only be used in patients with severe hepatic insufficiency if the benefit outweighs the potential risk. Patients with hepatic insufficiency must be carefully monitored for drug toxicity.

Renal Dosing

[CRCL <50ml/min]:
INTRAVENOUS voriconazole should be avoided, unless the benefit justifies the risk. Accumulation of the intravenous vehicle (SBECD) may occur. After initial loading dose, oral voriconazole should be administered to these patients.

Oral: no adjustments necessary.

Use in Patients with Renal Insufficiency
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The pharmacokinetics of orally administered VFEND are not significantly affected by renal insufficiency. Therefore, no adjustment is necessary for oral dosing in patients with mild to severe renal impairment (see package insert: CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY - Special Populations).

In patients with moderate or severe renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance <50 mL/min), accumulation of the intravenous vehicle, SBECD, occurs. Oral voriconazole should be administered to these patients, unless an assessment of the benefit/risk to the patient justifies the use of intravenous voriconazole. Serum creatinine levels should be closely monitored in these patients, and, if increases occur, consideration should be given to changing to oral voriconazole therapy (see DOSAGE and ADMINISTRATION).

Voriconazole is hemodialyzed with clearance of 121 mL/min. The intravenous vehicle, SBECD, is hemodialyzed with clearance of 55 mL/min. A 4-hour hemodialysis session does not remove a sufficient amount of voriconazole to warrant dose adjustment.

Hemodialysis

INTRAVENOUS voriconazole should be avoided.

Reference(s)

National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed Database.
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