Echinocandins - 1st line in invasive candidiasis: how strong is this strong evidence?
Despite Kett et al argue that they provide data to support an advantage of anidulafungin over fluconazole for the treatment of critically ill non-neutropenic patients with invasive Candida infections, there are several concerns that may limit this interpretation, namely the different duration of intravenous therapy, the choice of a surrogate endpoint that was not predictive of mortality and a superiority claim when the original study was designed as a non-inferiority trial. (Source: Critical Care)

Impact of First-line Antifungal Agents on the Outcomes and Costs of Candidemia.
Authors: Ha YE, Peck KR, Joo EJ, Kim SW, Jung SI, Chang HH, Park KH, Han SH Abstract Candida species are the leading causes of invasive fungal infection among hospitalized patients and are responsible for major economic burdens. The aims of this study were to estimate costs directly associated with the treatment of candidemia and factors associated with increased costs, as well as the impact of first-line antifungal agents on the outcomes and costs. A retrospective study was conducted in a sample of 199 patients from 4 university-affiliated tertiary care hospitals in Korea over 1 year. Only costs attributable to the treatment of candidemia were estimated by reviewing resource utilization during treatment. Risk factors for increased costs, treatment outcome and hospital length of st...