Geneva – Tafenoquine, an investigational antimalarial drug jointly developed by GlaxoSmithKline and the Medicines for Malaria Venture, has been granted FDA breakthrough-therapy status based on the results of a Phase II clinical trial that show relapse-free efficacy at six months that was significantly better than other treatments. Tafenoquine is an 8-aminoquinoline derivative that targets Plasmodium vivax malaria as well as a dormant form that causes relapse as soon as weeks after the initial mosquito bite. The drug is co-administered with chloroquine for both malaria treatment and relapse prevention.
