chloroquine + hydroxychloroquine

Chloroquine + hydroxychloroquine is a combination of two 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial drugs. Both agents are used to prevent and treat malaria, particularly in regions where the parasites remain sensitive to these drugs. Hydroxychloroquine is also widely used for autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, while both have been explored for other indications including Q fever and porphyria cutanea tarda. The mechanism of action involves interfering with lysosomal activity and autophagy in susceptible organisms or cells, raising the pH within intracellular vacuoles, which disrupts parasite growth in red blood cells. Both drugs also modulate immune system activity by inhibiting toll-like receptor signaling pathways, reducing inflammation in autoimmune conditions[1][2][6][10]. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have similar pharmacological profiles but differ slightly in safety; hydroxychloroquine generally has fewer side effects at therapeutic doses[2]. Both are small molecules with long half-lives due to extensive tissue binding[5].

Other names

CQ + HCQchloroquine and hydroxychloroquine combination