clindamycin + primaquine

Clindamycin plus primaquine is a combination small molecule therapy utilized as a second-line treatment for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), particularly in patients who are intolerant to or fail standard trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) therapy. Clindamycin is a lincosamide antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit of the pathogen. Primaquine is an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial whose mechanism in PCP is thought to involve the disruption of mitochondrial function and DNA synthesis. The McGill University Health Centre is evaluating this combination in the SPIRIT-ALT phase 4 trial to establish its comparative efficacy and safety against other alternative regimens like pentamidine and atovaquone in immunocompromised populations.

Other names

clindamycin plus primaquine