Pharmacological and safety profile of the long-standing antileprosy drug dapsone

Abstract Dapsone was the first drug to be systematically studiedfor leprosy and is the most commonly used drug for its treatment. After being used as a miracle drug for leprosy in the late 1940s and 1950s, reports of antimicrobial resistance gradually increased in the following decades, particularly because of its use at low dosages prescribed to decrease the risk of dapsone-induced hypersensitivity (DHS). Its reuse at higher dosages as part of combination multidrug therapy (MDT) for leprosy since the 1980s has contributed to a decline in its antimicrobial resistance. Concurrently, it has also received criticism because of its ability to precipitate its well-known side effects, such as hypersensitivity, anemia, and methemoglobinemia. Here, we discuss the pharmacological aspects of dapsone and attempt to elucidate the current understanding of the pharmacology of dapsone with respect to its adverse side effects.