Primaquine is a medication used in the treatment of malaria and Pneumocystis pneumonia. It is a member of the 8-aminoquinoline group of drugs that includes tafenoquine and pamaquine. Primaquine should not be administered to anyone with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency because there can be a severe reaction with hemolytic anemia. Primaquine is contraindicated in pregnancy, because the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase status of the fetus would be unknown. Primaquine should not be given to patients with NADH methemoglobin reductase deficiency. Primaquine is also used in the treatment of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), a fungal infection commonly occurring in people with AIDS and, more rarely, in those taking immunosuppressive drugs. To treat PCP effectively it is usually combined with clindamycin.
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