Pharmacology of Antimalarial Drugs, Current Anti-malarials

Abstract

Currently available antimalarial drugs can be classified into four broad categories according to their chemical structures and modes of action. 1. Arylamino alcohol compounds: quinine, quinidine, chloroquine, amodiaquine, mefloquine, halofantrine, piperaquine, and lumefantrine 2. 8-Aminoquinoline: primaquine and tafenoquine 3. Antifolate compounds: sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine, proguanil, chlorproguanil, and trimethoprim 4. Artemisinin compounds: artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, b-arteether, and dihydroartemisinin 5. Others: atovaquoneand antibacterial drugs (tetracycline, doxycycline, and clindamycin) Arylamino Alcohol Antimalarials Chloroquine Chloroquine was first synthesized by Bayer in Germany as early as 1934. The initial clinical

The Role of Clinical Pharmacology in Chemotherapy of Multidrug‐Resistant Plasmodium falciparum

“…The current dosage regimens of existing antimalarial drugs are generally empirical and suboptimal in some clinical populations, particularly in the semi‐immune and high‐risk groups such as young children and pregnant women 2 . These underdosing regimens would promote the emergence and spread of drug resistance.…”

“…The current dosage regimens of existing antimalarial drugs are generally empirical and suboptimal in some clinical populations, particularly in the semi-immune and high-risk groups such as young children and pregnant women. 2 These underdosing regimens would promote the emergence and spread of drug resistance. In recent years, clinical pharmacology in complementary with related disciplines has played a significant role in scrutinizing various strategies to optimize the clinical efficacy of the existing medicines in parallel with the development of effective alternative drugs to cope with MDR P falciparum.…”

“…Among the 5 malaria species that infect humans, Plasmodium falciparum , is the most critical species with regard to disease severity and drug resistance development. Chemotherapy with effective antimalarial drugs plays a mainstream role in the early control of the acute‐phase infection to rapidly resolve symptoms and to prevent progression to complications, and in the later phase to interrupt disease transmission 2 . Nevertheless, the emergence and spread of multidrug resistance (MDR) P falciparum to almost all of the existing drugs is a key factor that contributes to the global reappearance of malaria in the past 3 decades 1 .…”

“…Chemotherapy with effective antimalarial drugs plays a mainstream role in the early control of the acute-phase infection to rapidly resolve symptoms and to prevent progression to complications, and in the later phase to interrupt disease transmission. 2 Nevertheless, the emergence and spread of multidrug resistance (MDR) P falciparum to almost all of the existing drugs is a key factor that contributes to the global reappearance of malaria in the past 3 decades. 1 The Greater Mekong Subregion has continuously been the hot spot of MDR P falciparum, and recently artemisinin resistance.…”