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8-aminoquinoline antimalarial

Primaquine

Adult dose

Dose: P. vivax/ovale: 30mg PO OD x14 days (after chloroquine). P. falciparum gametocytocidal: 0.25 mg/kg single dose

Route: PO

Frequency: OD

Clinical pearls

Radical cure of P. vivax/ovale liver hypnozoites
CHECK G6PD before — black box; tafenoquine is alternative

Contraindications

G6PD deficiency
Severe haemolytic disease
Pregnancy

Side effects

Acute haemolytic anaemia (G6PD-deficient)
Methaemoglobinaemia
GI upset

Interactions

Other oxidising drugs
Quinacrine

Monitoring

G6PD
FBC
Methaemoglobin (symptomatic)

Reference: BNF; UKHSA; WHO; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/primaquine/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.

Related

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Pathways