Pharmacologically acceptable solvent vehicles

DETAILED DESCRIPTION One aspect of the present invention is an antifungal composition that is suitable for parenteral administration to a mammal.
The composition includes an amount of pimaricin or an antifungal derivative thereof that is effective to inhibit the growth of a systemic infection in a mammal; a pharmaceutically acceptable dipolar aprotic solvent: and a pharmaceutically acceptable aqueous secondary solvent.
Suitable dipolar aprotic solvents include N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
The aqueous secondary solvent can be, for example, water saline solution, or dextrose solution.
It can also be an aqueous lipid emulsion.
Suitable aqueous lipid emulsions include those that comprise a lipid component that includes at least one vegetable oil and at least one fatty acid.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, the lipid component comprises at least about 5% by weight soybean oil and at least about 50% by weight fatty acids.
The lipids in the composition are preferably present in a form other than liposomes (e.
g.
, at least about 50% by weight of the lipid is not in the form of liposomes, more preferably at least about 75%.
and most preferably at least about 95%).
Another aspect of the present invention concerns a method of preventing or treating a systemic infection in a mammal.
The method comprises administering parenterally to a mammal a composition as described above, in an amount that is effective to inhibit the growth of a systemic infection in the mammal.
Although the present invention is especially useful for preventing or treating systemic fungal infections, it can also be used for prevention and treatment of systemic infections caused by other infectious agents that are sensitive to pimaricin in vivo, such as viruses.
Another aspect of the present invention concerns a method of preparing an antifungal composition for internal use in a mammal, especially a human.
This method includes the steps of dissolving pimaricin or an antifungal derivative thereof in a pharmaceutically acceptable dipolar aprotic solvent; and adding to the solution a pharmaceutically acceptable aqueous secondary solvent