image by:

HWN Suggests

From animal use to a mainstay treatment against intestinal worms in humans

One of the ongoing challenges with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is that the discovery of medicines to treat them has been very slow. Current global programmes for NTDs largely depend on donated medicines, primarily to treat the world’s poorest people – most of whom live in remote rural or in deprived urban settings.

Due to a lack of incentives to develop new chemical matter or apply target knowledge, many medicines intended for veterinary use have been “adapted” or “repurposed”, while others have been “combined” for better efficacy – the majority from last century. In 1981, albendazole was adapted and approved as a deworming medicine for human use. It has since benefited billions…

read full article

Articles of Interest

Albendazole and Mebendazole as Anti-Parasitic and Anti-Cancer Agents: an Update

Albendazole and mebendazole are generally safe without significant side effects when used in recommended doses just for 1–3 days [2,4,9,13]. However, when these drugs are used for prolonged periods to treat tissue helminthiases [36], cancers [37,38], or even when they are used just for once as preventive chemotherapy for intestinal helminths [39], liver toxicity, allergic reactions, and rarely severe myelosuppression (in particular, neutropenia) may occur.

Albendazole for lymphatic filariasis… direct hit or misfire?

The Review found good evidence that albendazole alone or in combination with microfilaricidal drugs has little or no effect on completely clearing the mf or adult worms up to 12 months after treatment.

Albendazole – All you wanted to know

Albendazole is composed of benzimidazole carbamate, as an active ingredient. This causes degenerative changes in the intestines of worms and restrains worms from absorbing and feeding on glucose digested by the human intestine. In the absence of glucose, the worm loses energy and becomes weak, then eventually dies. Albendazole binds to the intestinal sites of parasites much better than that of mammals (including humans) which makes the drug safe for treating worm infections.

Albendazole: a review of anthelmintic efficacy and safety in humans

Benzimidazoles were originally developed as plant fungicides and later as veterinary anthelminthics. The first benzimidazole to be developed and licensed for human use was thiabendazole in 1962. Since then 4 other benzimidazoles (mebendazole, flubendazole, albendazole, triclabendazole) have been licensed for human use in various parts of the world. All are benzimidazole carbamates and show a broad spectrum of activity against helminth parasites.

An Overview on Albendazole: Anthelmintic Agent

Albendazole is a antiparasitic drug. And it is a prodrug and the active metabolite (albendazole sulfoxide) has good efficacy against roundworm, hookworm, pinworm, threadworm, tapeworm and tricuriasis. This drug also known as Albendazolum was patented in 1975.

Compare Vermox vs. Albenza

Head-to-head comparisons of medication uses, side effects, ratings, and more.

Deworming programs do not have harmful effects on gut microbiome

Our research adds one more piece to this puzzle by showing that we find no evidence of harmful changes to the gut microbiome resulting from successful removal of roundworms or hookworms.

StatPearls

Albendazole is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infections. Albendazole has also been the topic of recent investigation as a potential anticancer agent due to its limited toxicity to normal cells but high toxicity to both tumor and parasitic cells.

Why A Pill That's 4 Cents In Tanzania Costs Up To $400 In The U.S.

Two pills to wipe out hookworm could cost you 4 cents. Or $400. It just depends where you live. The 4 cents is in Tanzania. That'll cover the two pills it takes to knock out the intestinal parasite. But in the United States, where hookworm has re-emerged, the price for two 200 mg tablets of albendazole can cost as much as $400.

Resources

Pinworms (Enterobiasis) Treatment

The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are either mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose of the same drug two weeks later. Pyrantel pamoate is available without prescription. The medication does not reliably kill pinworm eggs. Therefore, the second dose is to prevent re-infection by adult worms that hatch from any eggs not killed by the first treatment. Health practitioners and parents should weigh the health risks and benefits of these drugs for patients under 2 years of age.

Antimicrobe.org

Albendazole is poorly absorbed. The parent drug is undetectable in human plasma when 400 mg is taken orally. Albendazole sulphoxide is responsible for the therapeutic effect outside the gut. A single 400 mg dose of the parent drug yields a peak plasma concentration of albendazole sulphoxide in the range 0.22-0.25 mg/L two to three hours post-dose. The estimated terminal half-life of albendazole sulphoxide is 8.5 hours.