FK463, a novel water-soluble echinocandin lipopeptide: synthesis and antifungal activity.

Anincreasing number of patients with marked immunosuppression as a result of transplantation, cancer and infection with Hiy has led to the increased, and widespread use of systemic antifungal agents.1} Currently available treatment is limited to 5-fluorocytosine, amphotericin B and azoles such as fluconazole and itraconazole. However, various problems effect the use of these agents. Among the major concerns are toxicity, rapid development of resistance, fungistatic effect and narrow antifungal spectrum, depending on the agent. In the search for new antifungals, fungal cell wall synthesis is an attractive target due to the presence of a number of fungi-specific enzymes,2) leading to the expectation of selective toxicity