Tavaborole, a Novel Boron-Containing Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Agent for Topical Treatment of Onychomycosis

Abstract

Tavaborole is a topical antifungal agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of toenail onychomycosis. As part of the nonclinical development program, reproductive and developmental toxicity studies were conducted (rat oral fertility and early embryonic development, rat (oral) and rabbit (dermal) embryo–fetal development). There were no effects on fertility or reproductive performance at doses up to 300 mg/kg/d (107 times the maximum recommended human dose [MRHD] based on mean area under the plasma concentration–time curve comparisons). In the rat embryo–fetal development toxicity studies, teratogenicity was not observed at doses up to 100 mg/kg/d (29 times the MRHD). However, several treatment-related skeletal malformations and variations were observed at 300 mg/kg/d (570 times the MRHD). In rabbit embryo–fetal development toxicity studies dosed via oral or dermal administration, the no observable adverse effect level for maternal toxicity and embryo–fetal toxicity was 50 mg/kg/d (16 times the MRHD) and 5% (26 times the MRHD), respectively.