Chloroquine-Chlorpheniramine Interaction In Human Malaria

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of chloroquine-chlorpheniramine (CQ-CP) combination therapy on the efficacy and disposition of chloroquine (CQ) in acute uncomplicated malaria. A 3-day standard treatment with 25 mg CQ base per kilogram body weight alone or in combination with chlorpheniramine (CP) was orally administered to 17 semi-immune Nigerian children with Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia, attending the Massey Street Children's Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Parasitemia was determined on thick blood films stained with Giemsa, and treatment failures were established following the WHO classification for CQ resistance. Whole blood CQ concentrations were monitored at pre-determined intervals during the 28 days of follow-up using blood dried on filter-paper. Treatment with CQ-CP combination resulted in a shorter parasite clearance time (2.0 ± 0.5 d) & a higher cure rate (87.5%) compared to treatment with CQ alone (3.5 ± 0.5 d; 66.7%). CQ pharmacokinetic parameters: maximum drug concentration (Cmax) and the area under the first-moment drug-concentration-time curve (AUMC) were significantly increased (p Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.9, No.3 (1999) pp. 225-230