Pharmacokinetics of Quinine and Doxycycline in Patients with Acute Falciparum Malaria: A Study in Africa

The pharmacokinetics of quinine was investigated in patients with acute falciparum malaria treated with quinine alone or in the presence of doxycycline. Twenty-six patients divided into two groups of equal number were enrolled in the study. In the absence of doxycycline, the volume of distribution of quinine (mean ± SD) was estimated to be 1.32 ± 0.32 L/kg, and its clearance was 0.125 ± 0.47 L/h/kg, which was only in partial agreement with previously published data. No effect of doxycycline on the pharmacokinetics of quinine was observed.