Comparative Study of Antimalarial and Other Drugs on G6PD Deficient Red Cells.

Tetracycline alone, at daily dosages of 1 g, has no hemolytic effects on G6PD deficient red blood cells of the B- type. Amodiaquine also, at the usual dosages, is not harmful for enzyme deficient red cells. Amodiaquine and tetracycline, given in succession, are devoid of hemolytic side effects. Thus, these drugs with antimalarial action should be considered safe for administration to G6PD deficient individuals with the B - variant, as well as the WR compounds previously studied. The suggested use of xylitol as a protective agent against hemolytic drugs Wang et al had raised considerable expectation. Unfortunately, xylitol at the dosages of 20 and 30 g.day was unable, in our experimental set up transfusion of 51 Cr tagged G6PD deficient red cells into normal recipients, to prevent the rapid destruction of the G6PD deficient red cells by primaquine in all cases studied so far. Author