SP Oral: IPTp Dosing and Precautions
Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine guidance for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Africa.
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Source reviewed
October 2024
Guide category
Oral drugs
Safety boundary
Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.
Kenza Health Hub presents this medicine page as structured health education. Check dose, route, interactions, pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations, and local protocol with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Read our medical editorial policy.
Therapeutic action
Antimalarial.
Indications
Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy, as of the second trimester, in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission in Africa.
Forms and strengths
- Sulfadoxine 500 mg/pyrimethamine 25 mg tablet.
- Sulfadoxine 500 mg/pyrimethamine 25 mg dispersible tablet.
Dose and duration
- 3 tablets as a single dose for each treatment, starting as early as possible in the second trimester.
- Each treatment should be given at least one month apart and at least 3 doses should be given during pregnancy.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Do not administer to patients with allergy to sulfonamides.
- Do not administer to HIV-infected women taking co-trimoxazole prophylaxis.
- May cause gastrointestinal disturbances, skin reactions sometimes severe, anaemia, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and haemolytic anaemia in patients with G6PD deficiency.
- Do not use in combination with co-trimoxazole.
- Do not give folic acid on the same day SP is administered, or within 2 weeks thereafter.
- Pregnancy: contraindicated during the first trimester.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.
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