Edema of Cornea Precipitated by Quinacrine (Atabrine)

Beyond DNA binding - a review of the potential mechanisms mediating quinacrine's therapeutic activities in parasitic infections, inflammation, and cancers

“…Quinacrine has very low risk of retinal toxicity [ 49 , 50 ]. At doses over 500 mg the drug has the potential to induce in rare cases a hypersensitivity reaction resulting in corneal edema, which is reversible [ 51 , 52 ]. Cortical stimulatory effects of quinacrine were documented in a study of a group of healthy volunteers given doses of quinacrine ranging between 200 to 1,200 mg daily for ten days [ 53 ].…”

Review: Ocular side effects of anti-rheumatic medications: what a rheumatologist should know

“…The world’s literature contains only one report of ‘Atabrine retinotoxicity’ 103. High doses of Atabrine can rarely induce a hypersensitivity reaction resulting in a reversible corneal edema 104,105…”

“…103 High doses of Atabrine can rarely induce a hypersensitivity reaction resulting in a reversible corneal edema. 104,105 Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus and other collagen and dermatologic diseases since the early 1950s. Initially retinal toxicity due to long-term use of chloroquine (Aralen) for malaria was reported in 1959 by Hobbs et al 106 Currently, hydroxychloroquine sulphate (Plaquenil) is the quinoline agent of choice for the treatment of autoimmune diseases with a far lower incidence of adverse reactions.…”