ABSTRACT
Mefloquine is a quinolinemethanol derivative which is structurally related to quinine. It was synthesized and tested by the United States army in the 1960s. The available mefloquine preparation is a racemate with two enantiomers in equal proportions (1). It was introduced for the treatment of multiresistant P. falciparum in the mid-1980s (2). In Africa, there are only occasional reports of therapeutic failures, but there has been a rapid development of resistance in the 1990s in parts of Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand (3). Cross-resistance with quinine and halofantrine has also been reported (4, 5). The mechanism of action is not well established. Mefloquine is a schizontocidal drug active against the erythrocytic stages of all species of malaria parasites. It is inactive against exoerythrocytic forms and thus cannot prevent relapse of P. vivax and P. ovale infections (6).
