Flutrimazole - An imidazole antifungal drug

Flutrimazole, a novel imidazole antifungal launched in Spain, is indicated for mycosis of the skin. Flutrimazole displays potent broad-spectrum of activity against dematophytes, filamentous fungi and yeasts, saprophytic and pathogenic to animals and humans. Similar to other imidazole and triazole antifungals, flutrimazole exerts its biological function through inhibition of fungal lanosterol 14a-demethylase. Excellent local and systemic tolerance of flutrimazole in patients has been reported.

Flutrimazole is a new, wide-spectrum imidazole antifungal drug used for topical treatment. It was developed by Urich Pharmaceuticals, Spain, and was first marketed in Spain in 1995, then followed by Chile, Peru, Argentina, South Korea, Mexico, Greece and Italy etc. The dosage forms available in the market are creams, gels and solutions. It is used in the topical treatment of epidermis mildew infection caused by achorion, Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum, such as athlete’s foot, tinea corporis and cruris,  tinea versicolor, tinea capitis, onychomycosis, facial tinea, and vulvitis. 

It is also used to treat the epidermal monilial infection and pityriasis versicolor caused by candidal yeast. The mechanism of action is to inhibit the biosynthesis of ergosterol on the fungal cell membrane by inhibiting the activity of fungal cytochrome P-450, damage the fungal cell membrane and change its permeability, and thus inhibit the growth of fungi. Its IC50 value is 0.071 μmol/L. It has a strong inhibitory effect on the skin and filamentous fungi and yeast which cause saprophytic and pathogenic diseases in animals and humans. The minimum inhibitory concentration of most test strains is 0.025-5.0 μg/ml. 

Flutrimazole has more exactly curative effect and fewer side effects, and the antifungal effect of flurbazole (MIC=0.15-0.6mg/ml) is equivalent to clotrimazole (MIC=0.3-2.5mg/ml), which is better than ketoconazole, but significantly higher than that of bifonazole (Difference between their minimum inhibitory concentration is greater than 1 order of magnitude). Flutrimazole is a safe and potency drug characterized with a certain local anti-inflammatory activity, good tolerance, rare local irritation and allergies. 

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