Pharmacological advances in Candida auris: emerging antifungal mechanisms and next-generation therapeutic strategies.

Candida auris is a major public health concern worldwide due to its efficient transmission, environmental persistence, and broad resistance to approved antifungal classes. This review consolidates recent pharmacological developments in this regard, focusing on mechanistic insights and late-stage therapeutics. Novel agents demonstrate activity against multidrug- and pan-resistant isolates via distinct mechanisms of action and enhanced specific binding to CYP51. Repositioned drugs, host-defense peptides, and quorum-sensing modulators also expand the treatable spectrum, particularly for biofilm-associated and device-related infections. Concurrently, artificial intelligence (AI)-guided discovery, nanocarrier-enabled delivery, and multi-omics profiling are greatly accelerating target identification and enhancing the drug metabolism of small-molecule fragments. The emerging combined approaches mark a transition towards mechanism-based antifungal development to combat the increasing clinical burden posed by C. auris. Ongoing integration of precision diagnostics, pharmacodynamic optimization, and novel discovery platforms will be key to translating these advances into durable, real-world therapeutic solutions.