Atovaquone
Encyclopedia
Atovaquone is a chemical compound that belongs to the class of naphthalene
s. Atovaquone is a hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, an analog of ubiquinone, with antipneumocystic activity. Its average wholesale price
is about US$2.13 per standard 250 mg. tablet. It is also manufactured in the US in the liquid form, or oral suspension, under the brand name Mepron, a 30 day supply of which (300ml), is about $1,600.00 without insurance coverage.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
(TMP-SMX, Bactrim) is generally considered first line therapy for PCP or toxoplasmosis. However, atovaquone may be used in patients who cannot tolerate, or are allergic to, TMP-SMX. In addition, atovaquone has the advantage of not causing myelosuppression, which is an important issue in patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation.
Atovaquone (hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is also widely claimed to be the primary component of the herb Henna, used to color hair in India, no proof as of this time has been found to determine the validity of this claim.
that has been commercially available from GlaxoSmithKline
since 2000 as Malarone for the treatment and prevention of malaria. For further details see atovaquone/proguanil
.
Naphthalene
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...
s. Atovaquone is a hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, an analog of ubiquinone, with antipneumocystic activity. Its average wholesale price
Average Wholesale Price
In the United States the Average Wholesale Price is a prescription drugs term referring to the average price at which drugs are purchased at the wholesale level. The term was originally intended to convey real pricing information to third-party payors, including government prescription drug programs...
is about US$2.13 per standard 250 mg. tablet. It is also manufactured in the US in the liquid form, or oral suspension, under the brand name Mepron, a 30 day supply of which (300ml), is about $1,600.00 without insurance coverage.
Uses
Atovaquone is a medication used to treat or prevent:- Pneumocystis pneumoniaPneumocystis pneumoniaPneumocystis pneumonia or pneumocystosis is a form of pneumonia, caused by the yeast-like fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii...
(PCP), although it is not approved for treatment of severe PCP. - ToxoplasmosisToxoplasmosisToxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite infects most genera of warm-blooded animals, including humans, but the primary host is the felid family. Animals are infected by eating infected meat, by ingestion of feces of a cat that has itself...
. The medication has antiparasitic and therapeutic effects. - MalariaMalariaMalaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. It is one of the two components (along with proguanilProguanilProguanil is a prophylactic antimalarial drug.Proguanil is effective against sporozoites.Proguanil hydrochloride is marketed as Paludrine by AstraZeneca.-Mechanism:...
) in the drug Malarone. Malarone has fewer side effects and is more expensive than mefloquineMefloquineMefloquine hydrochloride is an orally administered medication used in the prevention and treatment of malaria. Mefloquine was developed in the 1970s at the United States Department of Defense's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research as a synthetic analogue of quinine...
. Resistance has been observed. - BabesiaBabesiaBabesia is a protozoan parasite of the blood that causes a hemolytic disease known as Babesiosis. There are over 100 species of Babesia identified; however only a handful have been documented as pathogenic in humans....
. It is often used in conjunction with oral azithromycinAzithromycinAzithromycin is an azalide, a subclass of macrolide antibiotics. Azithromycin is one of the world's best-selling antibiotics...
.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole
Co-trimoxazole
Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or co-trimoxazole is a sulfonamide antibiotic combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, in the ratio of 1 to 5, used in the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections.The name co-trimoxazole is the British Approved Name, and has been marketed worldwide...
(TMP-SMX, Bactrim) is generally considered first line therapy for PCP or toxoplasmosis. However, atovaquone may be used in patients who cannot tolerate, or are allergic to, TMP-SMX. In addition, atovaquone has the advantage of not causing myelosuppression, which is an important issue in patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation.
Atovaquone (hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is also widely claimed to be the primary component of the herb Henna, used to color hair in India, no proof as of this time has been found to determine the validity of this claim.
Malaria
Atovaquone is available as a combination preparation with proguanilProguanil
Proguanil is a prophylactic antimalarial drug.Proguanil is effective against sporozoites.Proguanil hydrochloride is marketed as Paludrine by AstraZeneca.-Mechanism:...
that has been commercially available from GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
since 2000 as Malarone for the treatment and prevention of malaria. For further details see atovaquone/proguanil
Atovaquone/proguanil
The drug combination atovaquone/proguanil is an antimalarial medication used in both the treatment and prevention of malaria, commercially available from GlaxoSmithKline since 2000. Atovaquone alone is not indicated for treatment or prevention of malaria as monotherapy The drug combination...
.