Voriconazole Blood Level and Liver Metabolizing Enzyme in Taiwanese Patients

Voriconazole is an effective antifungal agent and may decrease morbidity and mortality for patients with invasive fungal infections. It is metabolized via liver enzymes. However, these enzymes exhibit different activities in individual patient (genetic polymorphism). Higher proportions of Asians metabolize voriconazole slower than Caucasians and African Americans do. Slower metabolizers may experience dose-associated adverse events more frequently, such as visual disturbances, liver function test abnormalities, and neurological complications. On the other hand, extensive metabolizer or other physiologic conditions may lead to lower blood levels of voriconazole, which may result in treatment failure. We plan to enroll patient who take voriconazole and examine their liver enzyme activities and blood samples for peak and trough drug levels. We will collect potential factors affecting voriconazole levels, and correlate the levels with the dosing regimen, activity of liver enzyme, occurrence of adverse events, and treatment outcomes. The goal of this study is to determine if monitoring of voriconazole blood levels is necessary in Taiwan.