Table 3.

Important food – anti-malarial drug interactions

Drug	Dietary recommendations	Mechanism of interaction	Practical consequence
Atovaquone	Take with fatty meal	Increased solubility and absorbtion	Increased drug levels
Artemether/lumefantrine	Take with food	Lumefantrine is lipophilic (fat soluble)	Up to 16-fold increased drug levels
Dihydroartemisinin/piperaquine	Take on an empty stomach (fasting)	Food increases absorption of piperaquine	Reduces risk of QTc prolongation
Doxycycline	Without milk	Milk chelates tetracyclines and reduces absorption	Low drug concentrations and treatment failure
Mefloquine	With food	Increased solubility and absorbtion	Increased drug levels
Primaquine	With food	Increased solubility and absorbtion	Increased drug levels