Chloroquine pharmacokinetics in pregnant and nonpregnant women with vivax malaria.

Journal article

PURPOSE: We compared the pharmacokinetics of chloroquine in pregnant and nonpregnant women treated for Plasmodium vivax malaria. METHODS: Twelve pregnant women and 15 nonpregnant women of child-bearing age with acute P. vivax malaria were treated with 25 mg chloroquine base/kg over 3 days on the northwestern border of Thailand. Blood concentrations of chloroquine and desethylchloroquine were measured using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection. Twenty-five women completed the pharmacokinetic study. RESULTS: Although increasing gestational age was associated with reduced chloroquine AUC0-->infinity, there was no significant difference overall in the pharmacokinetics of chloroquine between pregnant and nonpregnant women. Fever was associated with lower chloroquine AUC0-->infinity values. Desethylchloroquine area under the curve (AUC) values were not significantly affected by pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy did not significantly affect blood concentrations of chloroquine or its metabolite, desethylchloroquine, in women with P. vivax malaria.

Authors: Lee, S; Mcgready, R; Fernandez, C; Stepniewska, K; Paw, M

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: European journal of clinical pharmacology
• Volume: 64
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 987-992
• Publication date: 2008-10-01
• DOI: 10.1007/s00228-008-0500-z
• EISSN: 1432-1041
• ISSN: 0031-6970
• Language: English
• Keywords: Pregnancy Outcome; Malaria, Vivax; Adult; Antimalarials; Retrospective Studies; Female; Acute Disease; Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic; Adolescent; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Plasmodium vivax; Chloroquine; Young Adult; Animals; Pregnancy; Humans; Thailand; Pregnancy Trimester, Second; Area Under Curve