Enteral feeding tube administration with therapeutic drug monitoring of crushed posaconazole tablets and opened isavuconazonium sulfate capsules

Background: Isavuconazole and posaconazole are commonly used for both prophylaxis and treatment of invasive fungal infections. These agents are formulated for oral administration as a capsule and delayed release (DR) tablet or suspension, respectively. In patients unable to swallow, alternative means of administration, such as crushing posaconazole DR tablets and opening isavuconazole capsules, may be used to avoid IV administration or use of posaconazole suspension, which often produces subtherapeutic concentrations. Objectives: To assess the feasibility of achieving target plasma drug concentrations with enteral feeding tube (EFT) administration of crushed posaconazole DR tablets and opened isavuconazole capsules. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pharmacy records to identify patients receiving EFT administration of posaconazole or isavuconazole with concurrent therapeutic drug monitoring from October 2019 to June 2021. Plasma concentrations of either agent as well as clinical outcomes were documented. Results: We identified 37 patients receiving 38 courses of EFT isavuconazole or posaconazole. The majority of patients received primary prophylaxis following lung transplantation (64.9%). Plasma concentrations upon first assessment were therapeutic in the majority of patients (posaconazole 71.5%, isavuconazole 83.3%) with a mean level of 1.61 +/- 0.77 mg/L for posaconazole and 2.07 +/- 1.1 mg/L for isavuconazole. Of those that were subtherapeutic on initial assessment, all but one subsequently achieved target levels upon dose titration. Standard maintenance doses were used in all isavuconazole and most posaconazole patients. Conclusions: Our case series demonstrates that isavuconazole and posaconazole can be administered via EFT with concurrent therapeutic drug monitoring to achieve target plasma concentrations in the majority of patients.

Automated summary

By retrospectively reviewing pharmacy records, we found that administration of crushed posaconazole DR tablets and opened isavuconazole capsules via enteral feeding tube (EFT) can achieve target plasma drug concentrations in the majority of patients, providing an alternative treatment option for patients unable to swallow medications.