ABSTRACT
Base: MW 500; hydrochloride MW 537; pKa 9.7. Less than 1 g dissolves in 100 ml of water.
Pharmacology and mechanism of action
Halofantrine is a phenanthrenemethanol antimalarial drug developed by the US military. The antimalarial activity of the phenanthrenemethanols was discovered during the Second World War but was not exploited until later. Halofantrine is a potent blood schizontocide against Plasmodium falciparum both in vitro and in vivo. However, it has no effect against exoerythrocytic forms of the parasite. Experience of its activity against other malaria species is limited. The drug exists as a racemic mixture, but the two enantiomers have shown similar activity in vitro (1, 2).
