Several different kinds of antimalarial agents are prescribed to fight malaria. These medications are given either orally or intravenously, depending on the severity of infection. In some countries, antimalarial agents are given as suppositories.

Three antimalarial agents are currently used to treat skin disorders: chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and quinacrine. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are the most commonly used medications. They are derivatives of quinine, an alkaloid obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree in South America. Quinine has been used as an antimalarial agent since the 1800s.

Quinacrine is difficult to obtain in the United States. Recently, several individual pharmacies have been compounding quinacrine and offering it by mail order.