ASDA is now (September 2018) not the cheapest option to buy Malarone anti-malaria tablets, and it may not be the most convenient option for many people either.
ASDA sell Malarone tablets for £1.25 each and provide the choice of branded GSK Malarone or non-branded generic Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil). Both are medically identical and equally effective (no anti-malaria tablet is 100% effective).
How to buy from ASDA
To buy Malarone from ASDA you will need to:
Find a local branch with an in-store pharmacy.
Book an appointment with the pharmacist at the ASDA store (for each person requiring tablets).
At the appointment complete a medical questionnaire (10-15 mins).
The pharmacist will assess your information and dispense the appropriate tablets.
Order online with fast delivery
Dr Fox provides a convenient mail order option for £1.09 per tablet (plus small prescription fee and P&P). Read in full
As we’ve seen in recent news, travelling to a country where disease-carrying mosquitos thrive can have lasting repercussions. The Aedes mosquito is responsible for the transmission of viruses like Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika. Malaria, on the other hand, is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, and it isn’t a virus.
Malaria is a caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is picked up from infected people by female mosquitos. When the mosquito bites again, it transmits the parasite, now mixed with the mosquito’s saliva, to the blood of its victim.
There are four types of human malaria, of which the deadliest is Falciparum malaria, which is responsible for close to one million deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa every year.
Malaria symptoms usually come on one to two weeks after being bitten, and are flu-like in nature. They include fever, chills, vomiting and headaches. If the person does not receive proper treatment the parasite can be deadly, killing the host by destroying red blood cells and obstructing the arteries. Read in full
The article deals with the risks of vomiting whilst taking long-term medication and focused on the case of a Nurse, Victoria Ord, who contracted Malaria on a visit to Gambia. Vomiting of her malaria tablets left Victoria vulnerable to a serious malaria infection.
The Daily Mail article quotes Dr Steele as saying:
People think that once a pill is swallowed, the effect is immediate. Vomiting or diarrhoea can effectively mean a missed dose and it can be critical – enough to throw some patients on medication for heart problems into heart failure.
Whether missing one or more of your tablets because of vomiting will lead to serious health problems depends on which tablets and why they are being taken. People taking long term medication who plan to travel for prolonged periods in remote areas should talk to their doctors before they leave. Read in full
Malaria is a disease that has been around for more than 4,000 years and is still causing major concern throughout the world. As a longstanding thorn in humanity’s side, it has led to a cornucopia of attempted discoveries, remedies and cures.
What is malaria?
Derived from the Italian for ‘bad air’, malaria is one of the most prevalent and dangerous diseases on the planet that has affected – and killed – hundreds of thousands of people throughout history. Read in full
Children are much more at risk from serious complications of malaria infection than adults. It is generally recommended that unless absolutely necessary young children do not travel to malaria zones. If they do travel, children need to take the same types of antimalarial tablets/capsules as adults. Fortunately there is a choice of malaria tablets for children.
There is one major exception: children under the age of 12 years should not take doxycycline, as it can cause permanent yellow staining of the teeth in younger children. There is always an alternative to doxycycline, usually atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone) or mefloquine (Lariam). Read in full
In the UK Malarone is a prescription only medicine. This means Malarone tablets are not available without a prescription, except from some pharmacists using ‘patient group directions’ (a form of exception for the need for a prescription). Most pharmacists still require a prescription before Malarone can be supplied.
Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists with specialist travel medicine training, write the prescriptions. Usually there is a charge of between £10.00 to £25.00 for writing a prescription. The cost is set by the prescriber.
Dr Fox provides Malarone tablets at a low cost. Prices shown on the Dr Fox malaria tablets page.
Update September 2021: Malarone is Glaxo’s brand name for a medicine called atovaquone/proguanil. In February 2013, following a challenge to Glaxo’s patent, non-branded ‘generic malarone’ sold as atovaquone/proguanil became available as a UK licenced medicine. Malarone and atovaquone/proguanil are medically the same. A generic product called Maloff Protect (atovaquone/proguanil) is available to buy without prescription from a pharmacy, and is also supplied by Dr Fox on prescription. Read in full
ASDA is now (September 2018) not the cheapest option to buy Malarone anti-malaria tablets, and it may not be the most convenient option for many people either.
As we’ve seen in recent news, travelling to a country where disease-carrying mosquitos thrive can have lasting repercussions. The Aedes mosquito is responsible for the transmission of viruses like Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika. Malaria, on the other hand, is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, and it isn’t a virus.
Malaria is a disease that has been around for more than 4,000 years and is still causing major concern throughout the world. As a longstanding thorn in humanity’s side, it has led to a cornucopia of attempted discoveries, remedies and cures.
Children are much more at risk from serious complications of malaria infection than adults. It is generally recommended that unless absolutely necessary young children do not travel to malaria zones. If they do travel, children need to take the same types of antimalarial tablets/capsules as adults. Fortunately there is a choice of malaria tablets for children.