Chloroquine and primaquine: combining old drugs as a new weapon against falciparum malaria?
A recent publication has shown that primaquine, a drug used to clear liver-stage Plasmodium vivax infection, acts as a chloroquine-resistance reversing agent for Plasmodium falciparum in culture. Primaquine is active as a chloroquine-resistance reverser at concentrations that could be clinically relevant. As primaquine and chloroquine are already used together in the treatment of P. vivax, this is potentially a cheap way of reviving and extending the life of chloroquine.
Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. tegan@science.uct.ac.za
Timothy J
TJ
Egan
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects*; D011319:Primaquine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000962:Antimalarials; D002738:Chloroquine; D011319:Primaquine