Antimalarial therapy for lupus erythematosus: an apparent advantage of quinacrine.

A retrospective study of 26 quinacrine-treated lupus erythematosus patients failed to show evidence of drug-induced ocular changes. Although quinacrine commonly produces minor side effects, such as yellow discoloration of the skin, and may rarely produce very serious side effects, such as aplastic anemia, it appears to produce much less oculotoxicity than does chloroquine.