The Patenting and Technological Trends in Candidiasis Treatment: A Systematic Review (2014-2018)

Background: In the last few decades, mycoses caused by opportunistic fungi namely Candida species has gained significant attention. Such infections are very common and present high mortality rates, especially in immunocompromised patients. Currently, a limited number of antifungal drugs are available for the treatment of these infections and are also often related to severe adverse side effects. Therefore, new drugs and innovative technologies for the treatment of this infection are necessary. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of new drugs, formulations, as well as patents for the treatment of infections caused by Candida spp. Methods: The present patent review was carried out through a specialized search database Espacenet. The patent selection was based on the following inclusion criteria: Recent patents published in English or Spanish containing candidiasis as the keyword in the title, abstract or full text. This survey was conducted in October and November 2018. Results: As a result of that, 22 patents were selected to the final selection, the most common routes of application were oral (n = 6), vaginal (n = 6), topical (n = 5) and others (n = 5). This fact is related to the clinical manifestations of candidiasis. Conclusion: Through this review, it was possible to identify significant improvements and advances in the area of antifungal therapeutic innovation research. In addition, we demonstrated the growing interest of academic and industrial groups in pharmaceutical development and novel formulations for the treatment of candidiasis. New therapeutic options can contribute to improve the quality of patient’s life, prevent infections and promote the search for an innovative and effective treatment of Candida infections.