• Treatment of uncomplicated or severe malaria, especially due to Plasmodium falciparum (when artemisinin-based combination therapies are not available or contraindicated)

  • Sometimes used for nocturnal leg cramps (off-label and discouraged due to safety concerns)

Typical Adult Dosage (for malaria):

  • Oral: 600 mg quinine sulfate every 8 hours for 7 days (often combined with doxycycline or clindamycin)

  • IV (severe malaria): Quinine dihydrochloride, 20 mg/kg loading dose over 4 hours, then 10 mg/kg every 8 hours

  • Quinine sulfate tablets: 300 mg or 600 mg

  • Quinine dihydrochloride injection: 100 mg/mL

  • Oral: Take with food to minimize GI upset

  • IV: Administer diluted and slowly under medical supervision to avoid hypotension and arrhythmias

  • Ensure ECG and glucose monitoring during IV administration

  • Quinine is a cinchona alkaloid that interferes with heme detoxification in the malaria parasite’s food vacuole, leading to parasite death

  • Rapidly absorbed, hepatic metabolism (CYP3A4), renal excretion

  • Half-life: ~11 hours (longer in malaria patients)

  • Cinchonism: tinnitus, headache, nausea, dizziness, visual disturbances

  • GI upset, hypoglycemia

  • Hypersensitivity to quinine or other cinchona alkaloids

  • History of blackwater fever or quinine-induced thrombocytopenia

  • Optic neuritis, myasthenia gravis

  • Increased QT risk with: macrolides, fluoroquinolones, antipsychotics

  • Inhibits CYP2D6: May affect metabolism of other drugs (e.g., codeine, metoprolol)

  • Potentiates warfarin, enhanced hypoglycemia with insulin/sulfonylureas

                                   Drug Status

Availability
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Schedule
BRAND NAME STRENGTH FORMULATION PACK SIZE MANUFACTURER DISTRIBUTOR
Curaquin 50mg/5mL Suspension 60mL Regal Pharma Regal Pharma
Mosqin 80mg/2mL Injection 1’s Indus Pharma Globe Pharmacy
Quimed 600mg/2mL Injection 1’s Medisel Kenya Medisel Kenya
Quinal 50mg/5mL Suspension 60mL Biopharma Ltd Biopharma Ltd
Quinidil 300mg Tablet 100’s, 1000’s Biodeal Labs Biodeal Labs
Quinine 300mg Tablet 1000’s Lincoln Pharma C/O Medox Pharma Medox Pharma
Quinine 600mg/2mL Injection 1’s Lincoln Pharma C/O Medox Pharma Medox Pharma
Quinine 300mg/mL Injection 10’s Laborate India Harley’s Ltd
Quinine 600mg/2mL Injection 10’s Crown Healthcare Crown Healthcare
Quinine 300mg Tablet 100’s Universal Corporation Universal Corporation
Quinine Mixture 50mg/5mL Suspension 60mL, 100mL Laboratory & Allied Laboratory & Allied
Quinine 300mg/mL Injection 2mL Galaxy Pharma Galaxy Pharma
S-quin 300mg/mL Injection 6’s Synermed Pharma Synermed Pharma
Topquine Mixture 50mg/5mL Suspension 60mL Dawa Ltd Dawa Ltd
Topquine Paediatric Drops 200mg/mL Oral Drops 15mL Dawa Ltd Dawa Ltd