Thailand’s Experience with Tafenoquine: A Roadmap for Integrating Radical Cure into Routine Hospital Systems

This case study, developed through a partnership between APMEN and Thailand’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD), highlights Thailand’s pioneering efforts to integrate tafenoquine (TQ) into its national malaria elimination strategy. As Thailand reduced cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the challenge of treating P. vivax became more significant due to poor adherence to the standard 14-day primaquine treatment, especially in remote and high-risk communities. Tafenoquine, a single-dose radical cure, emerged as a promising alternative to improve treatment adherence and support malaria elimination goals.

Thailand became the first country in Asia to register tafenoquine in 2020, supported by strong international collaboration, regional leadership, and evidence from the ARCTIC study, which demonstrated its safety and effectiveness in routine care. The Ministry of Public Health later included tafenoquine in the 2025 National Malaria Treatment Guidelines and implemented a phased national rollout supported by healthcare worker training, G6PD testing, pharmacovigilance systems, and structured patient follow-up. The case study provides a practical roadmap for other national malaria programs by outlining Thailand’s step-by-step approach to adopting tafenoquine safely and effectively within routine health systems.