naphthoquine

Naphthoquine is a synthetic antimalarial drug belonging to the 4-aminoquinoline class, first synthesized in China in 1986 and developed for clinical use in the late 1990s. It is primarily used as part of a fixed-dose combination with artemisinin (marketed as ARCO) for the treatment of uncomplicated *Plasmodium falciparum* malaria. Naphthoquine acts by interfering with parasite development, likely through mechanisms similar to other 4-aminoquinolines, such as inhibition of heme detoxification within the parasite's food vacuole. Its long elimination half-life helps prevent recrudescence by maintaining therapeutic levels after initial rapid parasite clearance by artemisinin. Naphthoquine has been mainly used and studied within China and has not seen widespread deployment elsewhere[1][3][6][7].

Brand names

ARCO

Other names

naphthoquine phosphate