Halofantrine

Halofantrine is a drug used to treat <a href="/facts/Malaria/rN3g58CX">malaria</a>. Halofantrine's structure contains a substituted <a href="/facts/Phenanthrene/tE9YALIM">phenanthrene</a>, and is related to the <a href="/facts/Antimalarial_drug/8l4vNNNH">antimalarial drugs</a> <a href="/facts/Quinine/YMB9QgzM">quinine</a> and <a href="/facts/Lumefantrine/S4Jt2lER">lumefantrine</a>. Marketed as Halfan, halofantrine is never used to prevent malaria and its mode of action is unknown, although a crystallographic study showed that it binds to <a href="/facts/Hematin/X7pvECHy">hematin</a> in vitro, suggesting a possible mechanism of action. Halofantrine has also been shown to bind to <a href="/facts/Plasmepsin/E8kEUN5m">plasmepsin</a>, a <a href="/facts/Haemoglobin/RsD1MzYA">haemoglobin</a> degrading enzyme unique to the malarial parasites.
Halofantrine was developed at <a href="/facts/SRI_International/flSHunVK">SRI International</a> for the <a href="/facts/Walter_Reed_Army_Institute_of_Research/Hb8vuHde">Walter Reed Army Institute of Research</a> from 1965 to 1975 by a team led by medicinal chemist William Colwell.

Halofantrine open-in-new

Halofantrine