Drug Name:Chloroquine
Drug Class:Antimalarial
Mechanism of Action:
  • Inhibits heme polymerase, leading to accumulation of toxic heme in the parasite
  • Interferes with parasite's ability to digest hemoglobin
Use:
  • Treatment and prophylaxis of malaria caused by Plasmodium species
  • Treatment of extraintestinal amebiasis
  • Treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
Side Effects:
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
  • Headache, dizziness
  • Visual disturbances, including blurred vision and retinopathy
  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Hypotension
  • Hemolysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
Contraindications:
  • Hypersensitivity to chloroquine or related compounds
  • G6PD deficiency
  • Retinal or visual field changes
  • Severe hepatic or renal impairment
  • Pregnancy and lactation
Specialty:
  • Infectious disease
  • Rheumatology
  • Ophthalmology