foodconsumer.org: Malaria Drug not Recommended for Leg Cramps

Malaria Drug not Recommended for Leg Cramps
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Rachel Stockton on 07/09/2010 16:49:00
 
After following data reported to its adverse event reporting program from
2005-2008, the Food and Drug Administration has determined that a drug approved
for treating malaria should not be given to patients for leg cramps.  The agency
discovered that the drug places patients at risk for serious blood disorders.
Qualaquin is produced by AR Scientific; the active ingredient is quinine, the
source of the aforementioned complications.
History of Malaria and Quinine as its Cure
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, malaria is a
disease transmitted through mosquitoes carrying a specific type of parasite. 
Although not fully eradicated, malaria typically only affects travelers
returning home from malaria endemic regions, such as South Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa.
The National Malaria Eradication Program, which became active in 1947, is
largely responsible for the virtual elimination of the disease in the United
States.  In 1947, 15,000 cases were reported nationally.  By 1950, only 2,000
people became infected.  In 1951, malaria was considered eliminated.
Malaria has been around for about 4,000 years.  The CDC estimates that the
disease was a primary factor in determining whether or not the population of
certain regions flourished or waned.
It wasn’t until 1880 that researchers discovered that malaria is
parasite-borne.  A French army surgeon stationed in Algeria was the first
medical professional to discover parasites in the blood of malaria patients.  
The physician, Alphonse Laveran, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery
in 1907.
In 1897, a British Officer named Ronald Ross discovered that malaria could be
transmitted to mosquitoes from humans.
In the United States, once the puzzle of the origin and transmission of the
disease was solved, the next 5 decades were devoted to controlling and
ultimately eliminating the disease through various efforts.  Controlling water
levels that provided a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes and using
insecticide were the most common.
Until the 1940s, quinine was the most effective way to treat malaria victims;
using the drug to relieve muscle cramps is an off-label treatment.  The FDA
banned the use of over-the-counter quinine for leg cramps in 1994.  Until that
time, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals manufactured Legatrin, which was expressly sold for
this purpose.