Tafenoquine for the treatment of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> malaria
Alejandro Llanos‐Cuentas, Paulo Manrrique, Ángel Rosas-Aguirre, Sonia Herrera, Michelle S. Hsiang
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: malaria; however, it requires long treatment regimens (one to two weeks) that lead to poor adherence and thus clinical relapses. Tafenoquine (TFQ), a newly available and efficacious single-dose 8-aminoquinoline, aims to address this challenge. Safe administration is possible when paired with the use of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) diagnostics to prevent 8-aminoquinoline-induced hemolysis in patients with underlying G6PD deficiency (G6PDd). AREAS COVERED: clinical management and facilitate targeted mass drug administration in communities to decrease transmission. EXPERT OPINION: Clinical studies show therapeutic efficacy of TFQ as well as a good performance in terms of safety and tolerability. Additional research regarding the effectiveness and safety TFQ in malaria elimination strategies, such as targeted or mass drug administration, are needed.