Pyrimethamine

Pyrimethamine, sold under the trade name Daraprim, is a medication used with leucovorin to treat toxoplasmosis and cystoisosporiasis. It is also used with dapsone as a second-line option to prevent Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in people with HIV/AIDS. It was previously used for malaria, but is no longer recommended due to resistance. Pyrimethamine is taken by mouth. Pyrimethamine, sold under the trade name Daraprim, is a medication used with leucovorin to treat toxoplasmosis and cystoisosporiasis. It is also used with dapsone as a second-line option to prevent Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in people with HIV/AIDS. It was previously used for malaria, but is no longer recommended due to resistance. Pyrimethamine is taken by mouth. Common side effects include gastrointestinal upset, severe allergic reactions, and bone marrow suppression. It should not be used by people with folate deficiency that has resulted in anemia. There is concern that it may increase the risk of cancer. While occasionally used in pregnancy it is unclear if pyrimethamine is safe for the baby. Pyrimethamine is classified as a folic acid antagonist. It works by inhibiting folic acid metabolism and therefore the making of DNA. Pyrimethamine was discovered in 1952 and came into medical use in 1953.It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. In the United States in 2015, it was not available as a generic medication and the price was increased from US$13.50 to $750 a tablet ($75,000 for a course of treatment). In other areas of the world, it is available as a generic and costs as little as $0.05 to $0.10 per dose. Pyrimethamine is typically given with a sulfonamide and folinic acid. It is used for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, actinomycosis, and isosporiasis, and for the treatment and prevention of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Pyrimethamine is also used in combination with sulfadiazine to treat active toxoplasmosis. The two drugs bind the same enzymatic targets as the drugs trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole - dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthase, respectively. Pyrimethamine has also been used in several trials to treat retinochoroiditis. Pyrimethamine is labeled as pregnancy category C in the United States. To date, not enough evidence on its risks in pregnancy or its effects on the fetus is available. It is primarily active against Plasmodium falciparum, but also against Plasmodium vivax. Due to the emergence of pyrimethamine-resistant strains of P. falciparum, pyrimethamine alone is seldom used now. In combination with a long-acting sulfonamide such as sulfadiazine, it was widely used, such as in Fansidar, though resistance to this combination is increasing.