Dosing implications for liposomal amphotericin B in pregnancy

Abstract

Liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) is used in the treatment of opportunistic fungal and parasitic infections, including leishmaniasis. Given its lack of known teratogenicity in pregnancy, LAmB is a preferred agent for treatment for these patients. However, significant gaps remain in determining optimal dosing regimens for LAmB in pregnancy. We describe the use of LAmB for a pregnant patient with mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) using a dosing strategy of 5 mg/kg/day for days 1–7 using ideal body weight followed by 4 mg/kg weekly using adjusted body weight. We reviewed the literature for LAmB dosing strategies, particularly dosing weight, in pregnancy. Of the 143 cases identified in 17 studies, only one reported a dosing weight, in which ideal body weight was used. Five Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines in total discussed the use of amphotericin B in pregnancy but no guidelines included recommendations for dosing weight. This review describes our experience in using ideal body weight for dosing LAmB in pregnancy for the treatment of MCL. Use of ideal body weight may minimize risk of adverse effects to the fetus compared to the use of total body weight while maintaining efficacy for treatment of MCL in pregnancy.