Malaria tablets: tafenoquine
Tafenoquine (ArakodaTM®)
Tafenoquine is not licensed in the European Union and therefor is not available in Belgium.
It has been approved by the United States Food and Drug administration (FDA) since 2018 for the use of chemoprophylaxis for all malaria species in adults (>18 years) and the treatment of the dormant P. vivax and P. ovale liver-stage parasites (hypnozoites) from 16 years onwards.
Formulation
- not available in the European Union
Half- Life
- 14-28 days
Dosing schedule
- adults (18y): 200mg daily for the 3 days preceding the trip, 200mg weekly during the trip and a single 200mg dose during the week after returning
- children: not licensed
- duration: to start 3 days before entering risk zone and take until 1 week after leaving.
Contra- indications
- G6PD deficiency or unknown G6PD status
- history of psychotic disorder or current psychotic symptoms
Pregnancy
- not advised during pregnancy
Breastfeeding
- not advised in case of breastfeeding an infant with G6PD deficiency or unknown G6PD status
Side effects
- most common: headache, back pain, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea
- elevated liver enzyme levels, insomnia, depression, abnormal dreams, and anxiety
Advantages/disadvantage
- not available in European Union.
Additional information
- Wikitropica: background information on malaria for medical prefessionals
- Malaria Factsheet (WHO 2022)
- About Malaria (CDC 2022)
- CDC Yellow book: Travel-Related Infectious Diseases - Malaria (CDC 2023)