halofantrine

Developed in 1975, Halofantrine is a drug used to treat malaria, although it is never actually used to prevent it. The mechanism of action of Halofantrine may be similar to that of chloroquine, quinine, and mefloquine; by forming toxic complexes with ferritoporphyrin IX that damage the membrane of the parasite. It is worth noting that this drug can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, headache, itching and elevated liver enzymes. In fact, its most dangerous side effect is cardiac arrhythmias, and this effect is seen even at standard doses. The drug should therefore not be given to patients with cardiac conduction defects and should not be combined with mefloquine. Bear in mind that the consumption of grapefruit combined with certain medications such as Halofantrine can indeed cause serious side effects, even death. Because of fears of toxicity due to increased halofantrine blood levels, this medication should be taken on an empty stomach. On a side note, there are still no controlled studies in human pregnancy. Halofantrine should therefore be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.