Doxycycline is an economical daily antimalarial that suits most adults and covers destinations with resistant falciparum malaria. It sensitises skin to sunlight and can irritate the oesophagus, so counselling on sun protection and taking it upright with water is part of the supply.

The condition it treats

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease that kills travellers every year, with falciparum malaria able to turn fatal within days of first fever. Prevention stacks bite avoidance with chemoprophylaxis matched to the destination's resistance patterns.

How the service runs on Scripter

Patients book online, complete the pre-consultation questionnaire, and the guided pathway walks the practitioner through the malaria prevention consultation with the screening and counselling steps built in. The supply decision, the record and any GP notification are produced in the same flow, documented against the exact protocol version in force.

Training and eligibility requirements.

Who can deliver this service, and who it can be delivered to. The governing PGD document defines the definitive inclusion, exclusion and supply criteria; the Scripter consultation pathway enforces them, and every consultation is documented against the protocol version it ran under.

Practitioner training

✓Registered healthcare professional from a profession authorised to supply under PGDs (Schedule 16, Part 4 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012), such as a pharmacist, nurse, paramedic or physiotherapist, with current registration with their professional regulator

✓Practising from premises suitable for the service, such as registered pharmacy premises or a registered clinic

✓Assessed clinical competency for this service, declared and reviewed as part of PGD authorisation

✓Sign-off against the current version of this PGD in Scripter before first supply; sign-offs expire automatically when the protocol is updated, and the platform notifies everyone affected

✓In-date basic life support and safeguarding training

✓Indemnity arrangements covering the service

Patient eligibility

✓Travellers to destinations where doxycycline is a recommended option under current national guidance

✓Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children under the governing PGD's age limit excluded; tetracycline sensitivity screened

✓Started one to two days before entry and continued for four weeks after leaving

✓Sun protection, oesophageal and contraceptive interaction counselling completed

Doxycycline PGD questions

Why is doxycycline often the cheapest option?+

It is a long-established generic antibiotic taken daily, and for many destinations it is as effective as the pricier alternatives.

What are the main side effects?+

Photosensitivity and stomach upset. High-factor sunscreen and taking each dose with food and a full glass of water, staying upright afterwards, prevent most problems.

Does it affect other medicines?+

It can reduce the effectiveness of some treatments and is affected by antacids and iron; the consultation checks the medication list before supply.

More travel health PGDs.

Related protocols in the same category, all delivered through the same platform.

Run a malaria prevention service without the paperwork.

See the consultation pathway, the sign-off tracking and the record it produces in a free 30-minute demo.

Book a demo Contact us

Built for pharmacists, by pharmacists.