Preliminary evaluation of cycloguanil pamoate in dermal leishmaniasis

SOME REGRESSION of early lesions of dermal leishmaniasis has been observed by one of the authors (A.P.C.) in malaria patients treated orally with chloroguanide hydrochloride. The extent of improvement in the leishmanial lesions was not great, however, possibly because of the short duration of chloroguanide hydrochloride administration. The antimalarial activity of chloroguanide hydrochloride in man is due mainly to a dihydrotriazine metabolite of the drug.1-5Cycloguanil pamoate (CI-501; Camolar)6is a poorly water-soluble salt of this dihydrotriazine. An intramuscular dose of cycloguanil pamoate acts as a repository antimalarial drug in animals6,7and man.8-11Therefore, it seemed worthwhile to evaluate the efficacy of cycloguanil pamoate in patients with dermal leishmaniasis, caused byLeishmania braziliensis. This preliminary report gives the results obtained with cycloguanil pamoate in 30 such Costa Rican patients. Materials and Methods The patients who received treatment ranged in age from 7 months to 60 years,