Maloff Protect

What is Maloff Protect?

Maloff Protect is a tablet that helps to prevent malaria. It should be taken when you’re looking to visit a country with high rates of malaria. It should be taken two days before travel, throughout the duration of your stay, and seven days after you return.

Maloff Protect works in a similar way to Malarone: another type of anti-malaria treatment. Although Maloff Protect and Malarone contain the same active ingredients, they are made by different companies. Another key difference is the fact that Maloff Protect is classified as a P (pharmacy) medicine. This means that you don’t need a prescription to get it, unlike Malarone which is prescription-only. Malarone, though, is licensed to treat malaria as well as prevent it, whereas Maloff Protect is only licensed as prevention.

Even though you don’t need a prescription for Maloff Protect, you’ll still need to talk to us about your health and travel plans. This is just to make sure that the treatment is right for you and is safe for you to use.

How does Maloff Protect work?

Malaria is one of the most dangerous conditions in the world. It kills thousands of people each year , which is why taking anti-malaria treatment is so important. Malaria is caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes. This parasite can enter your bloodstream when you’ve been bitten by a mosquito, so you should take precautions to repel mosquitos alongside taking anti-malaria medication.

Once malaria is inside your body it can attack and take over certain cells, causing the infected person to become ill. There are many different strains of malaria, and different treatments can be more effective at combating different parasites. Maloff Protect is most effective at preventing infection from the strain ‘plasmodium falciparum’.

This treatment helps to prevent malaria by stopping its ability to reproduce. The active ingredients in Maloff Protect are proguanil and atovaquone. These constituents inhibit the parasite's ability to produce dihydrofolate reductase - the enzyme which allows it to copy itself through the development of new DNA material. By blocking the production of this substance, Maloff Protect weakens the parasite. The weakened parasite is then open to attack from your body’s immune system, which takes care of the rest of it.

What doses of Maloff Protect are there?

Maloff Protect comes in one dose. This dose contains 250 mg of atovaquone and 100 mg of proguanil hydrochloride. You’ll need to take one tablet a day for two days before you travel, throughout your stay in the high-risk area, and for a further seven days after you leave.

How to take Maloff Protect

When starting any medication it is best to take it as prescribed. If you have any doubts when taking your treatment then you can always check the patient safety leaflet which comes with your treatment.

You should take Maloff Protect as follows:

• Take one tablet once a day. Start taking the tablets two days before you travel to an area with a high risk of malaria
• Continue taking one tablet a day throughout your stay
• Continue to take a tablet a day for another seven days after your return to a malaria-free zone
• For maximum protection, take your full course of Maloff Protect. Stopping early increases your chances of getting malaria. This is because it takes seven days to ensure that any malaria parasites in you are killed.

How long does it take Maloff Protect to work?

If you start taking the treatment two days before you travel to a high-risk area, then it should prevent malaria by the time you leave. It only takes a couple of hours to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Taking the treatment two days before travel gives it more time to work.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Maloff Protect?

If you miss a dose, make sure that you don’t double-dose to make up for the missed one. It might help to set an alarm so that you’re taking the medication at the same time each day. If you take too much Maloff Protect then you should contact a clinician for advice.

Medically reviewed by

Dr Daniel Atkinson

GP Clinical Lead

on August 02, 2022.

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