title: Primaquine in vivax malaria: an update and review on management issues.
abstract: Primaquine was officially licensed as an anti-malarial drug by the FDA in 1952. It has remained the only FDA licensed drug capable of clearing the intra-hepatic schizonts and hypnozoites of Plasmodium vivax. This update and review focuses on five major aspects of primaquine use in treatment of vivax malaria, namely: a) evidence of efficacy of primaquine for its current indications; b) potential hazards of its widespread use, c) critical analysis of reported resistance against primaquine containing regimens; d) evidence for combining primaquine with artemisinins in areas of chloroquine resistance; and e) the potential for replacement of primaquine with newer drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka. ferndeep@gmail.com
authors.forename: Deepika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.forename: Chaturaka
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.forename: Senaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajapakse
mesh_terms: D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005953:Glycogen Storage Disease Type I / Q000473:pathology; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011319:Primaquine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; C055852:tafenoquine; D002738:Chloroquine; D011319:Primaquine