Antifungal drug delivery

Abstract

An improved antifungal composition for topical application to the skin and nails comprises: (1) an allylamine antifungal compound; (2) an aliphatic alcohol substituted with an aromatic substituent in which the allylamine antifungal compound is soluble to a degree that a therapeutically effective concentration of the allylamine antifungal compound can be applied topically in solution; (3) a lower aliphatic alcohol in which the aromatic alcohol is soluble; and (d) water or a water-compatible solvent mixture. The allylamine antifungal compound can be terbinafine or naftifine. The aliphatic alcohol substituted with an aromatic substituent can be benzyl alcohol or phenethyl alcohol. The lower aliphatic alcohol can be ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. In an alternative, the composition can further comprise an additional antifungal compound. Another aspect of the invention is a method for treatment of a fungal infection of skin or nails comprising administering the antifungal composition of the present invention topically to the skin or nails in an amount therapeutically effective to treat the fungal infection.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.