Differences in voriconazole trough plasma concentrations per oral dosages between children younger and older than 3 years of age.

The relationship between trough plasma concentrations and daily doses of voriconazole was retrospectively analyzed in < or = 18-year-old children because optimal oral voriconazole dosages for children, especially <2 years of age, is unknown. We demonstrated that the relationship changed around the age of 3 years, and that children <3 years of age required higher optimal daily doses with greater variations compared with those for older children, resulting in complicated optimal dose adjustments. Therefore, plasma concentration monitoring and individual dose adjustments are recommended for optimal and less toxic voriconazole treatments, especially for <3-year-old children, although additional studies are needed to validate this approach. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.