Introduction: Leishmaniasis comprises a broad spectrum of diseases caused by Leishmania parasites. Treatment with the first-line drugs for leishmaniasis, the pentavalent antimonials, can be complicated by side effects, less sensitivity or resistance of some Leishmania species, variations in pharmacokinetics, drug-host immune response interaction and high cost. Therefore, it is pivotal the development of safer, cheaper and more effective treatments for leishmaniasis. Drug repositioning is a strategy to identify and develop new uses for existing drugs, reducing expenditures and research time. In this context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the antileishmanial activity of antimalarial drugs.