The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.
| Level | Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P | Antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents | |
| 2 | P01 | Antiprotozoals | |
| 3 | P01B | Antimalarials | |
| 4 | P01BB | Biguanides | |
| 5 | P01BB51 | Proguanil and atovaquone |
| Active Ingredient | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Proguanil and Atovaquone |
Atovaquone and proguanil interfere with two different pathways involved in the biosynthesis of pyrimidines required for nucleic acid replication. The mechanism of action of atovaquone against P. falciparum is via inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport, and collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. One mechanism of action of proguanil, via its metabolite cycloguanil, is inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase, which disrupts deoxythymidylate synthesis. Proguanil also has antimalarial and is able to potentiate the ability of atovaquone to collapse mitochondrial membrane potential in malaria parasites. This latter mechanism may explain the synergy seen when atovaquone and proguanil are used in combination. |
| Title | Information Source | Document Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MALARONE Film-coated tablet | Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) | MPI, EU: SmPC | |
| MALARONE PAEDIATRIC Film-coated tablet | Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) | MPI, EU: SmPC |
Note the following: The list of brand names is continuously updated, and thus does not include the total of products circulating worldwide.
