29th July 2023

Antifungal drugs

Numerous antimicrobial drugs active against yeast and moulds exist, which can be used to treat fungal infections. The 3 main classifications of systemic antifungals, their mechanism of action, and their indications are summarised in the table below.

Further information can also be found in the Antimicrobials topic.

Classification	Examples	Mechanism of action	Indication
Triazoles	Fluconazole Voriconazole Posaconazole	Fungistatic Inhibit ergosterol synthesis of the fungal cell wall	Candida species Aspergillus species
Echinocandins	Caspofungin	Fungicidal Prevents cell wall synthesis	Candida species Aspergillus species
Polyenes	Amphotericin B Nystatin	Fungicidal Increases permeability of fungal cell membrane by binding to ergosterol	Candida species Aspergillus species

Classification

Examples

Mechanism of action

Indication

Triazoles

Fluconazole

Voriconazole

Posaconazole

Fungistatic

Inhibit ergosterol synthesis of the fungal cell wall

Candida species

Aspergillus species