AMODIAQUINE

synthetic antimalarial drug introduced into medicine in the 1940s. A derivative of quinoline, the drug is administered orally as amodiaquine hydrochloride. It inhibits the development of the malarial parasites Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum in the erythrocytic stage, in which they circulate in the bloodstream inside the red blood cells of the host. It is particularly effective against P. falciparum, but P. vivax is recurring. It is used less often than chloroquine for treatment of overt malaria. Possible side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.