KETOCONAZOLE (ketoconazole)


Drug overview for KETOCONAZOLE (ketoconazole):

Generic name: KETOCONAZOLE (kee-toe-CON-uh-zole)
Drug class: Antifungals-Systemic
Therapeutic class: Anti-Infective Agents

Ketoconazole, a synthetic imidazole derivative, is an azole antifungal agent.

Oral ketoconazole has been used as an alternative for the treatment of blastomycosis, chromomycosis (chromoblastomycosis), coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and paracoccidioidomycosis. Because ketoconazole has been associated with serious adverse effects (e.g., hepatotoxicity, adrenal insufficiency) and drug interactions, the drug should be used for the treatment of these systemic fungal infections only when they are serious or life-threatening, other effective antifungals are not available or not tolerated, and the potential benefits of oral ketoconazole outweigh potential risks of the drug. (See Cautions: Precautions and Contraindications.) Although oral ketoconazole has been used in the past for the treatment of certain Candida infections+ (e.g., oropharyngeal and/or esophageal candidiasis+, vulvovaginal candidiasis+, candiduria+, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis+) and the treatment of dermatophyte infections+ (e.g., tinea capitis+, tinea corporis+, tinea pedis+, tinea unguium+ (onychomycosis+)), the drug is no longer recommended and no longer labeled by FDA for these uses.

Because skin and nail fungal infections in otherwise healthy individuals are not life-threatening, risks associated with oral ketoconazole outweigh benefits of the drug in patients with these infections. Therefore, oral ketoconazole should not be used for the treatment of mucocutaneous or skin infections caused by Candida and should not be used for the treatment of dermatophyte infections of the skin or nails. For use of ketoconazole in the topical treatment of dermatophytoses and superficial mycoses,see Ketoconazole 84:04.08.

Oral ketoconazole has been used for the palliative treatment of Cushing's syndrome+ (hypercortisolism), including adrenocortical hyperfunction associated with adrenal or pituitary adenoma or ectopic corticotropin-secreting tumors. Based on ketoconazole's endocrine effects, the drug has been used in the treatment of advanced prostatic carcinoma+. Oral ketoconazole also has been used in the treatment of hypercalcemia in patients with sarcoidosis+ and the treatment of tuberculosis-associated hypercalcemia+ and idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria+.
DRUG IMAGES
  • KETOCONAZOLE 200 MG TABLET
    KETOCONAZOLE 200 MG TABLET
The following indications for KETOCONAZOLE (ketoconazole) have been approved by the FDA:

Indications:
Blastomycosis
Chromoblastomycosis
Coccidioidomycosis
Histoplasmosis
Paracoccidioidomycosis


Professional Synonyms:
Almeida's disease
Blastomycotic infection
Brazilian blastomycosis
California disease
Chromomycosis
Coccidioidal granuloma
Darling's disease
Gilchrist's disease
Lutz-Splendore-Almeida disease
North American blastomycosis
Paracoccidioidal granuloma
Posada-Wernicke disease
Posadas disease
Posadas mycosis
South American blastomycosis