The disposition of chloroquine and its main metabolite desethylchloroquine in volunteers with and without chloroquine-induced pruritus: evidence for decreased chloroquine metabolism in volunteers with pruritus.

The pharmacokinetics of chloroquine and its main metabolite desethylchloroquine have been carried out in volunteers with and without chloroquine-induced pruritus. It was shown that the volunteers with pruritus tended to metabolize chloroquine slower than the volunteers without pruritus because the metabolic ratio was lower in the volunteers with pruritus than that in the volunteers without pruritus. However, the overall pharmacokinetic patterns were comparable between the two groups and agreed with published data. The 24-hour urinary collections in the two groups of volunteers indicated that the volunteers with pruritus excreted more chloroquine (although not statistically significant) than the volunteers without pruritus. This also indicates that they metabolized less chloroquine. There were no side effects of note in any of the volunteers. The volunteers who gave positive histories of chloroquine-induced pruritus had mild episodes of itching after intake of the drug; the pruritus subsided within 48 hours in all instances.