Amphocil

Generic Name: Amphotericin
Product Name: Amphocil

Indication

Used in the treatment of invasive fungal infections caused by organisms susceptible to amphotericin, in adults and children > 12 years old.

Action

Microbiology

Amphocin is a stable complex of Amphotericin B and sodium cholesterol sulfate, and is slightly less effective than conventional Amphotericin B at equivalent doses, though at higher tolerated doses it is equivalent to of more effective than Amphotericin B. Amphotericin is a macrocyclic antibiotic with fungicidal activity against a variety of fungal species.

Pharmacokinetics

Mean terminal half lives for doses < 2.0 mg/kg and > 2.0 mg/kg are approximately 22.1 and 27.2 hours respectively.

Dose advice

Adults

3-4 mg/kg, once daily. (Doses as high as 6 mg/kg have been used).

Children

Experience is limited, though some patients have been treated with daily doses per kilogram similar to those used in adults with no unusual adverse effects.

Elderly patients

Experience is limited, though available data does not indicate that dose reductions or precautions are required.

Use in pregnancy

Amphocil use should be avoided during pregnancy unless the expected benefit outweighs the risk.

Use in lactation

Amphocil use is not recommended in breastfeeding women.

Use in children

Specific dose recommendations and precautions have not been sufficiently studied in the paediatric populations.

Schedule

Common side effects

Fever, chills.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain.
Headache, backache.
Rash
Abnormalities of kidney (e.g. hypokalemia, increased creatinine, increased urea) and liver (e.g. bilirubinaemia, increased alkaline phosphatase) biochemistry.