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Because MALARONE contains atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride, the type and severity of adverse reactions associated with each of the compounds may be expected. The higher treatment doses of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) were less well tolerated than the lower prophylactic doses.

Among adults who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for treatment of malaria, attributable adverse experiences that occurred in ≥ 5% of patients were abdominal pain (17%), nausea (12%), vomiting (12%), headache (10%), diarrhea (8%), asthenia (8%), anorexia (5%), and dizziness (5%). Treatment was discontinued prematurely due to an adverse experience in 4 of 436 adults treated with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) .

Among pediatric patients (weighing 11 to 40 kg) who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for the treatment of malaria, attributable adverse experiences that occurred in ≥ 5% of patients were vomiting (10%) and pruritus (6%). Vomiting occurred in 43 of 319 (13%) pediatric patients who did not have symptomatic malaria but were given treatment doses of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for 3 days in a clinical trial. The design of this clinical trial required that any patient who vomited be withdrawn from the trial. Among pediatric patients with symptomatic malaria treated with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) , treatment was discontinued prematurely due to an adverse experience in 1 of 116 (0.9%).

In a study of 100 pediatric patients (5 to ≤ 11 kg body weight) who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, only diarrhea (6%) occurred in ≥ 5% of patients as an adverse experience attributable to MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) . In 3 patients (3%), treatment was discontinued prematurely due to an adverse experience.

Abnormalities in laboratory tests reported in clinical trials were limited to elevations of transaminases in malaria patients being treated with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) . The frequency of these abnormalities varied substantially across studies of treatment and were not observed in the randomized portions of the prophylaxis trials.

In one phase III trial of malaria treatment in Thai adults, early elevations of ALT and AST were observed to occur more frequently in patients treated with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) compared to patients treated with an active control drug. Rates for patients who had normal baseline levels of these clinical laboratory parameters were: Day 7: ALT 26.7% vs. 15.6%; AST 16.9% vs. 8.6%. By day 14 of this 28-day study, the frequency of transaminase elevations equalized across the 2 groups.

In this and other studies in which transaminase elevations occurred, they were noted to persist for up to 4 weeks following treatment with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for malaria. None were associated with untoward clinical events.

Among subjects who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for prophylaxis of malaria in placebo-controlled trials, adverse experiences occurred in similar proportions of subjects receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) or placebo (Table 3). The most commonly reported adverse experiences possibly attributable to MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) or placebo were headache and abdominal pain. Prophylaxis with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) was discontinued prematurely due to a treatment-related adverse experience in 3 of 381 adults and 0 of 125 pediatric patients.

Table 3. Adverse Experiences in Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for Prophylaxis of Malaria

In an additional placebo-controlled study of malaria prophylaxis with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) involving 330 pediatric patients in a malaria-endemic area (see Clinical Studies), the safety profile of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) was consistent with that described above. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) were abdominal pain (13%), headache (13%), and cough (10%). Abdominal pain (13% vs. 8%) and vomiting (5% vs. 3%) were reported more often with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) than with placebo, while fever (5% vs. 12%) and diarrhea (1% vs. 5%) were more common with placebo. No patient withdrew from the study due to an adverse experience with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) . No routine laboratory data were obtained during this study.

Among subjects who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for prophylaxis of malaria in clinical trials with an active comparator, adverse experiences occurred in a similar or lower proportion of subjects receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) than an active comparator (Table 4). The mean durations of dosing and the periods for which the adverse experiences are summarized in Table 4, were 28 days (Study 1) and 26 days (Study 2) for MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) , 53 days for mefloquine, and 49 days for chloroquine plus proguanil (reflecting the different recommended dosing regimens). Fewer neuropsychiatric adverse experiences occurred in subjects who received MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) than mefloquine. Fewer gastrointestinal adverse experiences occurred in subjects receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) than chloroquine/proguanil. Compared with active comparator drugs, subjects receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) had fewer adverse experiences overall that were attributed to prophylactic therapy (Table 4). Prophylaxis with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) was discontinued prematurely due to a treatment-related adverse experience in 7 of 1,004 travelers.

Table 4. Adverse Experiences in Active-Controlled Clinical Trials of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) for Prophylaxis of Malaria

In a third active-controlled study, MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) (n = 110) was compared with chloroquine/proguanil (n = 111) for the prophylaxis of malaria in 221 non-immune pediatric patients (see Clinical Studies). The mean duration of exposure was 23 days for MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) , 46 days for chloroquine, and 43 days for proguanil, reflecting the different recommended dosage regimens for these products. Fewer patients treated with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) reported abdominal pain (2% vs. 7%) or nausea ( ≤ 1% vs. 7%) than children who received chloroquine/proguanil. Oral ulceration (2% vs. 2%), vivid dreams (2% vs. ≤ 1%), and blurred vision (0% vs. 2%) occurred in similar proportions of patients receiving either MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) or chloroquine/proguanil, respectively. Two patients discontinued prophylaxis with chloroquine/proguanil due to adverse events, while none of those receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) discontinued due to adverse events.

Post-Marketing Adverse Reactions

In addition to adverse events reported from clinical trials, the following events have been identified during world-wide post-approval use of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) . Because they are reported voluntarily from a population of unknown size, estimates of frequency cannot be made. These events have been chosen for inclusion due to a combination of their seriousness, frequency of reporting, or potential causal connection to MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) .

Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders: Neutropenia and rarely anemia. Pancytopenia in patients with severe renal impairment treated with proguanil.

Immune System Disorders: Allergic reactions including angioedema, urticaria, and rare cases of anaphylaxis and vasculitis.

Nervous System Disorders: Rare cases of seizures and psychotic events (such as hallucinations); however, a causal relationship has not been established.

Gastrointestinal Disorders: Stomatitis.

Hepatobiliary Disorders: Elevated liver function tests and rare cases of hepatitis, cholestasis; a single case of hepatic failure requiring transplant has been reported.

Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Photosensitivity, rash, and rare cases of erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Concomitant treatment with tetracycline has been associated with approximately a 40% reduction in plasma concentrations of atovaquone. Parasitemia should be closely monitored in patients receiving tetracycline. While antiemetics may be indicated for patients receiving MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) , metoclopramide may reduce the bioavailability of atovaquone and should be used only if other antiemetics are not available.

Concomitant administration of rifampin or rifabutin is known to reduce atovaquone levels by approximately 50% and 34%, respectively. The concomitant administration of MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) and rifampin or rifabutin is not recommended.

Proguanil may potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and other coumarin-based anticoagulants. The mechanism of this potential drug interaction has not been established. Caution is advised when initiating or withdrawing malaria prophylaxis or treatment with MALARONE (atovaquone and proguanil hcl) in patients on continuous treatment with coumarin-based anticoagulants. When these products are administered concomitantly, suitable coagulation tests should be closely monitored.

Atovaquone is highly protein bound ( > 99%) but does not displace other highly protein-bound drugs in vitro, indicating significant drug interactions arising from displacement are unlikely.

Potential interactions between proguanil or cycloguanil and other drugs that are CYP2C19 substrates or inhibitors are unknown.

Last reviewed on RxList: 10/7/2009
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.