primaquine + chloroquine

This refers to the combination therapy of primaquine and chloroquine as evaluated in a Phase 1 pharmacokinetic interaction study sponsored by the University of Oxford. Chloroquine is a 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial that targets the erythrocytic (blood) stages of *Plasmodium vivax* by binding to ferriprotoporphyrin IX (heme), preventing its detoxification into non-toxic hemozoin and leading to parasite death. Primaquine is an 8-aminoquinoline essential for the radical cure of *P. vivax* because it targets the dormant liver stages (hypnozoites), thereby preventing disease relapse. While its exact mechanism is not fully defined, primaquine is believed to disrupt mitochondrial electron transport and generate reactive oxygen species within the parasite. The combination is the standard radical cure for *P. vivax* malaria, and the specific Oxford study investigated potential pharmacokinetic interactions between these two orally administered agents in healthy Thai adults.

Other names

PQ + CQchloroquine and primaquine combination