Anemia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Anemia, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Safety of the combination of chloroquine and methylene blue in healthy adult men with G6PD deficiency from rural Burkina Faso.

Mandi G, Witte S, Meissner P, Coulibaly B, Mansmann U, Rengelshausen J, Schiek W, Jahn A, Sanon M, Wüst K, Walter-Sack I, Mikus G, Burhenne J, Riedel KD, Schirmer H, Kouyaté B, Müller O

Nouna Health Research Centre, Nouna, Burkina Faso. germain.crsn@fasonet.bf

New drug combinations against falciparum malaria which are both effective and affordable for Sub-Saharan African populations are urgently needed. The combination of the well-known drugs chloroquine (CQ) and methylene blue (MB) is such a promising new regimen. However, there is some concern that MB could cause development of haemolysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a condition which is prevalent in malaria-endemic regions. Against this background, 74 G6PD-deficient but otherwise healthy adult men were given a 3-day oral regimen of a total of 1500 mg CQ and 780 mg MB in the District Hospital of Nouna in north-western Burkina Faso. Haemolysis did not occur, haemoglobin levels remained stable or even rose in the study participants, and the drug regimen was well tolerated. Therefore, standard dosages of MB appear to be safe in G6PD-deficient African populations with predominantly class III G6PD deficiency.

Published 18 January 2005 in Trop Med Int Health, 10(1): 32-8.
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