Chloroquine kinetics in the undernourished.

The plasma and whole blood kinetics of chloroquine was studied in 7 normal and 8 undernourished subjects following a single oral dose of 600 mg. The terminal half-lives were similar in both groups. The AUC was also similar in the 2 groups, even though a higher dose per kg body weight was administered to the undernourished. This was probably because of faster clearance in this group. Chloroquine uptake by erythrocytes, its main site of action in malaria, was also comparable in the two groups. The plasma concentration of chloroquine over a period of time was found to be similar in 4 normal and 4 undernourished subjects following administration of 1.5 g of the drug in divided doses. The undernourished appear, therefore, to handle chloroquine in such a way that they do not suffer a greater risk of toxicity than normals.