Fansidar - Sulfadoxine

The combined use of Fansidar (sulfadoxine + pyrimethamine) with chloroquine has been reported to result in more severe adverse reactions (50). However, an increased risk has not been reported in recent studies (51). 

Fansidar (Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine). Roche Products Ltd. UK Summary of product characteristics, September 2005. 

A 19-year-old with a valve replacement and taking warfarin presented with melaena and coughing up blood about a week after self-medicating with Fansidar (sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine). He had not had his anticoagulant control monitored. ... 

Chloroquine, amodiaquine and Fansidar (sulfadoxine/pyrimeth-amine) can markedly increase serum chlorpromazine levels. 

The success of quinine inspired the search for other antimalarials. The greatest impetus for the development of synthetic dmgs came this century when the two World Wars intermpted the supply of cinchona bark to the combatants. A stmcturally related 4-quinolinemethanol is mefloquine (65, Lariam [51773-92-3]) which now serves as an effective alternative agent for chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum. This is a potent substance that requires less than one-tenth the dose of quinine to effect cures. There are some untoward side effects associated with this dmg such as gastrointestinal upset and dizziness, but they tend to be transient. Mefloquine is not recommended for use by those using beta-blockers, those whose job requires fine coordination and spatial discrimination, or those with a history of epilepsy or psychiatric disorders. A combination of mefloquine with Fansidar (a mixture of pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine) is known as Fansimef but its use is not recommended. Resistance to mefloquine has been reported even though the compound has not been in wide use. 

Fansidar is the fixed dose combination of pyrimethamine with sulfadoxine. This formulation is well absorbed with peak plasma levels of the components 2-8 hours after dosing. 

Nebulized pentamidine at the dosage of 300 mg every two weeks should be used in patients with a CD4-I- count less than 100 mm if systemic therapy cannot be tolerated. Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (Fansidar), one tablet given once or twice a week, is useful in patients in whom compliance is considered to be a problem. However, it has been associated with hepatotoxicity, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. 

Sulfadoxine is the only long-acting sulfonamide currently available in the USA and only as a combination formulation with pyrimethamine (Fansidar), a second-line agent in treatment for malaria (see Chapter 52). 

Pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine have been used for treatment of leishmaniasis and toxoplasmosis. In falciparum malaria, the combination of pyrimethamine with sulfadoxine (Fansidar) has been used (see Chapter 52). 

Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar) Folate antagonist combination Treatment of infections with some chloroquine-resistant P falciparum, including combination with artesunate intermittent preventive therapy in endemic areas... 

In many areas, resistance to folate antagonists and sulfonamides is common for P falciparum and less common for P vlvax. Resistance is due primarily to mutations in dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthase, with increasing numbers of mutations leading to increasing levels of resistance. At present, resistance seriously limits the efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (Fansidar) for the treatment of malaria in most areas, but in Africa most parasites exhibit only moderate resistance, such that antifolates appear to continue to offer preventive efficacy against malaria. Because different mutations may mediate resistance to different agents, cross-resistance is not uniformly seen. 

The sulfones and sulfonamides synergize with the inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase, and the combinations have been effective in controlling malaria, toxoplasmosis, and coccidiosis. Fansidar, a combination of sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine, has been successful in controlling some strains of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria (see Chapter 53 Antiprotozoal Drugs). However, reports of Fansidar resistance have increased in recent years. New inhibitors effective against the sulfonamide-resistant 7,8-dihydropteroate synthase are needed. 

A quinine satf 600 mg 8-hourly by mouth for 7 days followed by pyrimethamine plus sulfadoxine (Fansidar) 3 tablets as a single dose. Where there is resistance to Fansidar, doxycycline 200 mg, should be given after the course of quinine daily for at least 7 days. This additional therapy is necessary as quinine alone tends to be associated with a higher rate of relapse. 

In Britain, the retrospective reported rate for serious reactions with Maloprim was one in 9100, the incidence of blood dyscrasias being one in 20 000. These figures are lower than those reported with Fansidar (pyrimethamine + sulfadoxine) (SEDA-16, 309). 

Liver function abnormalities with Fansidar (pyrimethamine + sulfadoxine) vary from raised serum transaminase activities to more marked disturbances, with jaundice and granulomatous hepatitis. An occasional case of fatal hepatic failure has been reported this was the case in a young white American woman who had taken three doses of Fansidar with chloroquine (SEDA-12,242). Hepatic symptoms may be part of a vasculitis sjmdrome or can be seen in association with skin reactions (SEDA-13, 241). 

Severe skin reactions have been reported with the combination of pyrimethamine + sulfadoxine (Fansidar) from various countries. These include erythema exudativum multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, cutaneous vasculitis, lichen planus, a single case of ectodermosis pluriorificialis, and some cases of photosensitivity. 

Sulfonamide and/or pyrimethamine sensitivity, pregnancy, and G6PD deficiency are contraindications. Use in young infants is considered inadvisable the history of an 8-month-old infant with P. falciparum malaria who developed high fever, tachycardia, hypotension, chills, jaundice, and splenomegaly 48 hours after a single parenteral dose of Fansidar (pyrimethamine + sulfadoxine) (SEDA-16, 309) seems to confirm the wisdom of this advice. It has been advocated that Fansidar should not be used prophylactically if exposure to malaria will last less then 3 weeks, in view of the incidence of severe skin reactions during the first month. 

Svanbom M, Rombo L, Gustafsson L. Unusual pulmonary reaction during short term prophylaxis with pyrimetha-mine-sulfadoxine (Fansidar). BMJ (Clin Res Ed) 1984 288(6434) 1876. 

Miller KD, Lobel HO, Satriale RF, Kuritsky JN, Stern R, Campbell CC. Severe cutaneous reactions among American travelers using pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine (Fansidar) for malaria prophylaxis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1986 35(3) 451-8. 

Sulfadoxine and Pyrimethamine. The combination of sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine (Fansidar) (Fig. 9-S) uses a drug from the sulfonamide antibacterial group and a pyri-... 

Combinations of drags, such 115 and sulfadoxine (4-amino-N-(5,6-dimethoxy-4-pyrimidinyl)benzenesulfonamide) (132), trade name Fansidar, have been found useful in treatment of malaria78. The combination of 115 and 32 is known as Maloprim. 

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