Two medicines, side by side
Chloroquine vs dapsone
Chloroquine has no indication this site maps; dapsone for acne. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of chloroquine since 1949 and of dapsone since 2005. Pharmacies paid $6.65 per chloroquine ph 500 mg tablet and $0.664 per gram (Dapsone 5% gel) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, chloroquine is an antimalarial and dapsone a sulfone.
Check it at the source: the chloroquine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 2, 2026); the dapsone FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 20, 2026).
Highlights of the chloroquine record
Chloroquine (Aralen) · label of July 2, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsChloroquine phosphate tablets are indicated for the: Treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to susceptible strains of P. falciparum, P.malariae, P. ovale, and P.vivax. Prophylaxis of malaria in geographic areas where resistance to chloroquine is not present. Treatment of extraintestinal amebiasis. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 31, 1949
- Generic labelers
- 4 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $6.65 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the dapsone record
Dapsone (Aczone) · label of July 20, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsDermatitis herpetiformis: (D.H.) Leprosy: All forms of leprosy except for cases of proven dapsone resistance.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 7, 2005
- Generic labelers
- 27 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.664 per gram
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Chloroquine label of July 2, 2026, Dapsone label of July 20, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do chloroquine and dapsone differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, chloroquine is an antimalarial and dapsone a sulfone.
How each works, in its label's words: Chloroquine, “Mechanism of Action: Chloroquine, a 4-aminoquinoline, is an anti-protozoal agent.”; Dapsone, “in Dermatitis herpetiformis has not been established.”
Generics: chloroquine since 1974; dapsone since 1979 (Drugs@FDA).
| Chloroquine | Dapsone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | n/a | Acne |
| Pharmacologic class | Antimalarial | Sulfone |
| How it works (label) | Mechanism of Action: Chloroquine, a 4-aminoquinoline, is an anti-protozoal agent. The precise mechanism by which chloroquine exhibits activity is not known. | in Dermatitis herpetiformis has not been established. By the kinetic method in mice, Dapsone is bactericidal as well as bacteriostatic against Mycobacterium leprae. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | October 31, 1949 | July 7, 2005 |
| First generic approved | December 11, 1974 | July 3, 1979 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 4 labelers | 27 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $6.65 per tablet (Chloroquine ph 500 mg tablet) | $0.664 per gram (Dapsone 5% gel) |
| 12-month price change | +16% | -36% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 654 | 10,643 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
Do their labels mention each other?
Dapsone label, drug interactionsUse with Drugs that Induce Methemoglobinemia Concomitant use of ACZONE Gel, 7.5% with drugs that induce methemoglobinemia such as sulfonamides, acetaminophen, acetanilide, aniline dyes, benzocaine, chloroquine, dapsone, naphthalene, nitrates and nitrites, nitrofurantoin, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, pamaquine, para‐aminosalicylic acid, phenacetin, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primaquine, and quinine may increase the …
Dapsone label, drug interactionsUse with Drugs that Induce Methemoglobinemia Concomitant use of dapsone gel with drugs that induce methemoglobinemia such as sulfonamides, acetaminophen, acetanilide, aniline dyes, benzocaine, chloroquine, dapsone, naphthalene, nitrates and nitrites, nitrofurantoin, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, pamaquine, para‐aminosalicylic acid, phenacetin, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primaquine, and quinine may increase the risk …
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to chloroquine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions