Intravenous Quinidine for the Treatment of Severe falciparum Malaria: Clinical and Pharmacokinetic Studies

Abstract

Over 100 years ago, quinidine, a cinchona alkaloid, was found to be effective against Plasmodium falciparum malaria in India.1Later investigations in Malaya,2Louisiana,3and New York4produced evidence that quinidine was as effective as quinine as an antimalarial agent and possibly superior to it. The success of synthetic drugs, particularly chloroquine, overshadowed interest in defining the potency of cinchona alkaloids used singly and in combination for the treatment of malaria. However, there are now urgent reasons for reviving this discussion. First of all, in Southeast Asia, P. falciparum is becoming resistant to all available antimalarial agents, including quinine, yet. © 1985, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.