nifurtimox

Action and Spectrum

Drug Interaction

Adverse Reaction

>10%: 

Vomiting  

Abdominal pain  

Headache  

Decreased appetite 

1-10%: 

Nausea 

Pyrexia  

Rash  

Diarrhea  

Decreased weight  

Dizziness  

Anemia  

Urticaria  

Eosinophilia 

<1%: 

Pulmonary fibrosis 

Black Box Warning

Contraindication / Caution

Nifurtimox is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to the active ingredient. 

Pregnancy / Lactation

Pregnancy consideration:  

Infected women should do a pregnancy test before starting the treatment. 

Breastfeeding warnings:  

The drug is slightly secreted in breast milk. Monitor the infants if any symptoms persist due to the drug. 

Pregnancy category: 

• Category A: well-controlled and Satisfactory studies do not show risk to the fetus in the first/later trimester.        
• Category B: there was no evidence of risk to the fetus in animal studies, and there were not enough studies on pregnant women        
• Category C: there was evidence of risk of adverse effects in animal reproduction studies, and no adequate evidence in human studies must take care of potential risks in pregnant women.       
• Category D: adequate data available with sufficient evidence of human fetal risk from various platforms, but despite the potential risk, and used only in emergency cases for potential benefits.        
• Category X: Drugs listed in this category outweigh the risks over benefits. Hence these categories of drugs need to be avoided by pregnant women.        
• Category N: There is no data available for the drug under this category 

Pharmacology

Adminstartion

Patient Information Leaflet

Patient information leaflet 

Generic Name: nifurtimox 

Pronounced: Ni-fur-timox 

Why do we use nifurtimox? 

Nifurtimox is an antiprotozoal agent. It is used to treat Chagas disease.