Tafenoquine

Tafenoquine is an 8-aminoquinoline drug manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline that is being investigated as a potential treatment for malaria, as well as for malaria prevention.

The proposed indication for tafenoquine is for treatment of the hypnozoite stages of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale that are responsible for relapse of these malaria species even when the blood stages are successfully cleared. This is only now achieved by administration of daily primaquine for 14 days. The main advantage of tafenoquine is that it has a long half-life (2–3 weeks) and therefore a single treatment may be sufficient to clear hypnozoites. The shorter regimen has been described as an advantage.