A Case of Primaquine-Induced Acute Liver Failure / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Primaquine was approved for treatment of malaria in 1952 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has remained the only FDA-licensed drug capable of clearing the intra-hepatic schizonts and hypnozoites of Plasmodium vivax. It is associated with serious hazards and side effects, such as hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia. However, there is no report of primaquine causing liver injury in Korea. We describe a case of acute liver failure following primaquine overdose in a 19-year-old man.