What is "ketoconazole"

n. A synthetic antifungal drug used especially in immunocompromised patients.

Ketoconazole ( INN, USAN, BAN, JAN) is a synthetic imidazole antifungal drug used primarily to treat fungal infections. Ketoconazole is sold commercially as a tablet for oral administration (although this use has been discontinued in a number of countries), and in a variety of formulations for topical administration, such as creams (used to treat tinea; cutaneous candidiasis, including candidal paronychia; and pityriasis versicolor) and shampoos (used primarily to treat dandruff— seborrhoeic dermatitis of the scalp).

The less toxic and generally more effective triazole antifungal agents fluconazole and itraconazole are usually preferred for systemic use. In 2013 the European Medicines Agency's Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that a ban be imposed on the use of oral ketoconazole for systemic use in humans throughout the European Union, after concluding that the risk of serious liver injury from systemic ketoconazole outweighs its benefits. The oral formulation of ketoconazole was discontinued in Australia in 2013 and in China in 2015.