Malarone is a branded anti-malarial medication. Malarone tablets contain two active ingredients, atovaquone and proguanil. They are used to prevent malaria spread by the bite of mosquitoes encountered in tropical countries whilst travelling.

Zones where malaria is most common:

• Africa and African countries, such as Kenya and Tanzania
• South and Central America, including Peru, Mexico and the Dominican Republic
• Some Asian countries, such as India, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam

If you look at a world map, it is usually the tropical areas in which malaria originates and spreads, since the conditions provide a good breeding ground for mosquitos.

Malaria is caused by four different organisms all belonging to the family called plasmodiums. The fiercest strain is Plasmodium falciparum which can cause malignant malaria. Malarone is most effective against the falciparum strain and less effective against the others.

Malaria can lie dormant and resurface weeks, months or sometimes years after you return from your trip. Always see a Doctor if you have flu-like symptoms up to a year after returning from a malaria zone.

Atovaquone and proguanil both interfere with the cell replication of the malaria parasite meaning it cannot replicate in the bloodstream, therefore preventing infection. When used in combination, proguanil makes atovaquone more effective.

Malaria is a disease can be caused by four different strains of malaria parasite. There are different treatments depending on the strain that is most common in the area you are traveling in. The appropriate malaria treatment also varies depending on the levels of drug resistance that the malaria parasites in each location have developed.

To ensure you have chosen the right medication for you trip we recommend you visit the government Fit For Travel website. It is a comprehensive and continually updated site which has the travel information needed to make you trip a safe one.

Alternatives to Malarone are available, if you decide this isn’t the treatment for you. Other types of malaria prophylaxis include:

Doxycycline – a tetracycline antibiotic
Lariam – an antimalarial agent containing mefloquine (linked to strange dreams)
The RTS vaccine – a recombinant protein-based malaria vaccine that triggers the body's immune system. A potentially good solution for those who are prone to missing or forgetting to take pills

For adults 16 years and over who are over 40kg, take one tablet daily. Preferably at the same time each day with food or a milky drink (this helps to prevent most of the common side effects and increases the drug absorption, making the medicine more effective).

The course needs to be started 1-2 days before travel, taken for the entire length of time you are in the malaria zone and for 7 days after.

It is important to finish the course and take the 7 tablets after you have exited the malaria zone, even if you have returned home (parasites from an infected bite will need 7 days of treatment to ensure they are killed).

If you miss a dose, take the tablet when you next remember. If too much time has elapsed, carry on as before. Continue taking one tablet a day until the course has finished. Do not take more than 1 tablet a day.

A replacement tablet needs to be taken if you are sick within an hour of taking a tablet. Continue taking the course as before until there are no tablets left.

You can crush the tablet and mix with honey, yoghurt or jam but it must be consumed straight away.

We understand that calculating how many tablets you may need for your trip can be difficult and confusing. When ordering, enter the amount of time that you are in the malaria zone and we will calculate how many tablets you need (including tablets for before and after your trip).

No prophylactic antimalarial tablet is 100% effective and it is important to continue to use mosquito nets, DEET-containing insect repellents, and other measures at the same time as the medication to prevent mosquito bites.

Malarone is very effective at preventing malaria. To ensure that you minimise your risk of contracting malaria as much as possible, confirm that Malarone is the correct treatment option for your destination, take your tablets regularly and always complete the full course.

As no preventive treatment is 100% effective, it is still important to avoid mosquito bites wherever possible.

Malarone is the newest of the anti-malarial medications that is currently available. It is normally recommended for use in trips to a malaria-risk zone for up to 28 days. There is no evidence of any adverse effects if it is used for longer.

The most common side effects of Malarone include headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach/abdominal pain. These are experienced by approximately 10% of patents and most can be prevented if the tablets are taken with food or a milky drink.

Less common side effects that affect fewer than 1% of patients include: fever, cough, dizziness, loss of appetite, rash and difficulty in sleeping. If any side effects become severe you should see a doctor to discuss the risk of not taking your tablets or to chose an alternative anti-malarial.

There is no known interaction between Malarone and alcohol. Malarone may you feel dizzy, if this occurs, avoid alcohol consumption, as it will make the dizziness worse.

The use of Malarone is not advised before speaking to a doctor if you:

• Are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant in the next 3 months.
• Weigh less than 40kg (a paediatric version is available for children from your doctor).
• Have liver or kidney disease.
• Have an allergy to either of the active ingredients atovaquone and proguanil.

Malarone should not be taken with the following medication:

• Rifampicin and rifabutin (antibiotics used for the treatment of TB).
• Metoclopramide (anti-sickness medication).
• Tetracycline (an antibiotic commonly used for acne and other skin conditions).
• Warfarin and other blood thinning agents.

A study to show whether Malarone is harmful to pregnant or breastfeeding mothers has not been carried out. However, there is documented evidence to show that each of the individual active ingredients should not be administered to pregnant and breastfeeding women as they can be harmful to the child.

We recommend that you speak to you Doctor who will assess the benefits and risks of prescribing the medication to you.

Regarding online medication, it is right to be vigilant. Look out for the green cross which can be found at the bottom of any page on our website. It links through to the General Pharmaceutical Council and our registration details; they regulate pharmacy premises and pharmacists in the UK. If it doesn't have a green cross then, you cannot know that what you are buying is genuine. We are also regulated and inspected by the CQC and MHRA to ensure we provide the highest level of care and service to all of our patients. All of our credentials can be found in the footer of every page on our website.

As long as you are buying Malarone from a reputable online pharmacy then you have nothing to worry about, it is no different from getting them in your local high street chemist. Never buy prescription medicines from unregulated sources, from abroad, or from websites such as Ebay.

Ensure you have visited the government’s Fit For Travel website and have checked which anti-malarial treatment is most appropriate for you and your trip as well as any vaccines you may need for the area you will be visiting.

Select the medication from the list below.

• Malarone Tablets
• Generic or unbranded Malarone Tablets
• Doxycycline Tablets
• Lariam (mefloquine) Tablets

Enter the amount of time you will be in the malarial zone (all our treatments are complete courses and include the tablets before and after your trip).

Start the consultation and fill in the short health questionnaire. This will give the Doctor all the information they need to ensure the treatment is safe and effective for you.

The Doctor reviews the notes and a prescription is produced internally for the pharmacy to dispense and dispatch. This occurs within 24 hours and the status can be followed in your account.

We will contact you if the Doctor needs some more information and if they believe the requested medication is not appropriate for you, we will give you a full refund.

Malarone is a branded medicine and is the newest of all the anti-malarial treatments. It was originally marketed to treat malaria and its patent to prevent malaria was granted in 2001. The patent meant that only one manufacturer could produce it until 2013. This helps to recoup the initial research and development investment.

When the patent on Malarone expired in 2013, other manufactures were able to produce unbranded versions and the price has dropped. The price of 1 weeks worth of Malarone is £51.90 compared to £37.50 for the unbranded or generic version.

There is no difference in the active ingredients of the unbranded and branded versions.

Malarone is not indicated for all travel destinations, as it is only effective against certain strains of malaria parasite that occur in specific areas in the world. Check the government Fit For Travel website for an up-to-date list of the medication and vaccines recommended for your trip.

The type of drugs used to treat malaria depend on how severe the condition has become. There is also the factor of chloroquine resistance to consider, which can be a problem in certain cases. Current treatment options for malaria include chloroquine and quinine.

Yellow fever and malaria are both transmitted by mosquitoes, and share similar symptoms, such as fever, aches and nausea. However, they are not caused by the same thing. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium, while yellow fever is the result of a virus.