Malarone

Malarone is the brand name for a combination of drugs called atovaquone and proguanil. It’s used in the treatment and prevention of malaria, a potentially fatal disease caused by parasites passed on from female mosquitoes which carry the malaria infection. The mosquitoes pick up the infection from the blood of infected humans, so protecting yourself from malaria can also help to stop the spread of malaria in the areas you are travelling in.

Atovaquone doesn’t work on its own; as such, it’s always paired with proguanil for optimum results as they work in two separate ways to stop malarial parasites in the blood stream from reproducing and developing.

Malarone can be purchased online with a prescription from either your GP or a doctor from Click Pharmacy. You will discuss your travel plans and look at your current health situation, including any medications you currently take. After this assessment, you will be prescribed the suitable amount of Malarone and advised how to take it.

The medication comes in the follow pack amounts:

One week (16 tablets)

Two weeks (23 pills)

Three weeks (30 tablets)

4 weeks (37 tablets)

Eight week (65 tablets)

12 weeks (93 tablets)

Anyone who travels through, stays at or lives in a country with malaria transmission is at risk of malaria and especially children, pregnant women and those travelling from countries without malaria. The malaria most commonly associated with life-threatening symptoms is Plasmodium falciparum, which is found in Africa.

Malarone is specifically used to prevent the spread of this type of malaria and is especially used in areas where the parasite is resistant to other medicines, such as chloroquine.

An adult tablet of Malarone contains 250mg of atovaquone and 100mg of proguanil hydrochloride.

If you are using the drug to protect yourself from infection, you should take one tablet a day starting one or two days before you are scheduled to arrive in an area where there is a risk of malaria. Continue taking the medicine for the duration of your stay and for another week after you leave.

• Malarone tablets contain 100mg proguanil and 250mg atovaquone. They are suitable for preventing malaria in adults and children weighing more than 40kg, and for treating malaria in adults and in children weighing between 11kg and 40kg.
• Malarone paediatric tablets contain 25mg proguanil and 62.5mg atovaquone. They are suitable for preventing malaria in children weighing between 11kg and 40kg, and for treating malaria in children between 5kg and 11kg.

You can get more information on dosages by speaking to your GP or by contacting the medical professionals here at Click Pharmacy

Malarone is one of the three most widely used medicines given to people travelling in high risk areas. It is particularly useful for preventing malaria in areas where this parasite is resistant to other antimalarial medicines, such as chloroquine.

Its effectiveness can be diminished if taken on an empty stomach as the body cannot absorb as much of the drug as well as if you are sick within one hour of taking it. If this occurs, it is important to take another dose right away to ensure you receive the required amount for prevention or treatment of malaria.

For optimal absorption, the tablets should be consumed with a fatty meal or a glass of milk, and you should take them at the same time each day.

Malarone has a number of advantages for travellers to high risk areas. It can be started within 2 days of travel meaning it is useful for last minute plans and upon your return, you need only take it for 7 days rather than 4 weeks like some other antimalarials.

In areas where malaria is an endemic, non immune travellers (those who are travelling from countries without malaria) showed a far lower adverse effect to treatment with Malarone and it is also approved for use in children travelling to high risk areas.

The malaria causing parasite needs a certain enzyme to multiply, and the proguanil present in Malarone targets this enzyme and blocks it. At the same time, atovaquone interferes with the parasite’s reproductive process, making it almost impossible for the infection to take hold and spread.

The treatment has fewer adverse side effects than other malaria drugs.

Some people experience no symptoms at all, but there is a risk of the following:

• vertigo
• diarrhoea
• loss of appetite
• headaches
• stomach upset
• mouth sores
• weakness
• vomiting.

You can find various anti-malarial tablets that act as alternatives to Malarone. For instance:

• Doxycycline
• Lariam (mefloquine)

In addition to these treatments, you should practice mosquito bite prevention to minimise the risk of contracting the disease.