Mefloquine 250mg tablets
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Malaria is a protozoan disease that places an enormous burden on human health in endemic areas around the world.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Mefloquine
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Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Mefloquine
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EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
4 branded products available
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Mefloquine on the MHRA register
Lariam 250mg tablets
Lariam 250mg tablets
This is the NHS Drug Tariff indicative price used for reimbursement purposes. It may not reflect the price paid by patients or pharmacies.
View full Drug TariffSource: NHS Drug Tariff via NHSBSA. Derived from dm+d VMPP (Virtual Medicinal Product Pack) pricing data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
1 gram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Mefloquine
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
75 found
Half-life
0.9 - 13.8 days
Mechanism
The mechanism of action of mefloquine is not completely understood.
Food interactions
3 warnings
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
40%
Half-life
0.9 - 13.8 days
Protein binding
98%
[A226868][L8953]
Volume of distribution
20 L/kg
[L8953]…
Metabolism
[A38732][L8953]…
Elimination
9%
Clearance
0.022 to 0.073 L/h
[A226868]…
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Mefloquine, commonly known as Lariam, is an antimalarial drug used for the prevention and treatment of malaria caused by infection with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. The drug was initially discovered by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) during a malaria drug discovery program between 1963 until 1976. It was approved by the FDA in 1989, and was first marketed by Hoffman Laroche.[A226838] This drug has been the subject of widespread controversy due to concerns regarding neurotoxic effects; product information warns of potential serious neuropsychiatric effects.[A226838][L8953]
[L8953]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1076 interactions
[L30668]
Symptoms of an overdose with mefloquine may manifest as a worsening of adverse effects. In the case of an overdose, symptomatic and supportive care should be provided.
There is no known antidote for an overdose with mefloquine.
[L8953]
Monitor cardiac function by ECG, follow neuropsychiatric status for at least 24 hours, and provide treatment as required.
[L8953]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A226868][L8953]
Average blood concentrations range between 50 to 110 ng/ml/mg/kg.
[A226868]
A weekly dose of 250 mg leads to steady-state plasma concentrations of 1000 to 2000 μg/L, after 7 to 10 weeks of administration.
[L8953]
[A226868]
In various studies of healthy adults, the mean elimination half-life of mefloquine varied between 2 and 4 weeks, with a mean half-life of approximately 21 days.
[L8953]
[A226868][L8953]
[L8953]
Various estimates of the total apparent volume of distribution range from 13.3 to 40.9L/kg.
[A226868]
Mefloquine can accumulate in erythrocytes that have been infected with malaria parasites.
[L8953]
[A38732][L8953]
Two metabolites have been identified; the main metabolite, 2,8-bis-trifluoromethyl-4-quinoline carboxylic acid, which inactive against plasmodium falciparum. The second metabolite, an alcohol, is found in small quantities.
[L8953]
[A226948][L8953]
[A226868]
Prescribing information mentions a clearance rate of 30 mL/min.
[L8953]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:8898203 PMID:9038218 PMID:35507548
Catalyzes the flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic to the exoplasmic leaflet of the apical membrane. Participates mainly to the flop of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, beta-D-glucosylceramides and sphingomyelins .
PMID:8898203
Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:9038218
ATC P01BF02
ATC P01BC02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Mefloquine
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11386
ChemSpider
3906
BindingDB
50022889
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:263
GenAtlas
ADORA2A
GeneCards
ADORA2A
GenBank Gene Database
M97370
GenBank Protein Database
177892
Guide to Pharmacology
19
UniProt Accession
AA2AR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2594
GenAtlas
CYP19A1
GeneCards
CYP19A1
GenBank Gene Database
M22246
GenBank Protein Database
179002
Guide to Pharmacology
1362
UniProt Accession
CP19A_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:108
GenAtlas
ACHE
GeneCards
ACHE
GenBank Gene Database
M55040
GenBank Protein Database
177975
Guide to Pharmacology
2465
UniProt Accession
ACES_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:983
GenAtlas
BCHE
GeneCards
BCHE
GenBank Gene Database
M32391
GenBank Protein Database
1311630
Guide to Pharmacology
2471
UniProt Accession
CHLE_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:40
GenAtlas
ABCB1
GeneCards
ABCB1
GenBank Gene Database
M14758
GenBank Protein Database
307180
Guide to Pharmacology
768
UniProt Accession
MDR1_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: