Mebendazole
Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Vermox,[1] Ovex, others |
Other names | MBZ |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a682315 |
License data |
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Pregnancy category |
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QP52AC09 (WHO) | |
Legal status | |
Legal status | |
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | 2–10% |
Protein binding | 95% |
Metabolism | Extensive liver |
Elimination half-life | 3–6 hours |
Excretion | Feces, urine (5–10%) |
Identifiers | |
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JSmol) | |
Melting point | 288.5 °C (551.3 °F) |
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Mebendazole (MBZ), sold under the brand name Vermox among others, is a
Mebendazole is usually well tolerated.
Mebendazole came into use in 1971, after it was developed by
Medical use
Mebendazole is a highly effective, broad-spectrum
Mebendazole and other benzimidazole antithelmetics are active against both larval and adult stages of nematodes, and in the cases of roundworm and whipworm, kill the eggs, as well. Paralysis and death of the parasites occurs slowly, and elimination in the feces may require several days.[9]
Special populations
Mebendazole has been shown to cause ill effects in pregnancy in animal models, and no adequate studies of its effects in human pregnancy have been conducted.[2] Whether it can be passed by breastfeeding is unknown.[12][2]
Adverse effects
Mebendazole sometimes causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and elevated liver enzymes. In rare cases, it has been associated with a dangerously low white blood cell count, low platelet count, and hair loss,[12][13] with a risk of agranulocytosis in rare cases.
Drug interactions
Carbamazepine and phenytoin lower serum levels of mebendazole. Cimetidine does not appreciably raise serum mebendazole (in contrast to the similar drug albendazole), consistent with its poor systemic absorption.[14][15]
Stevens–Johnson syndrome and the more severe toxic epidermal necrolysis can occur when mebendazole is combined with high doses of metronidazole.[16]
Mechanism
Mebendazole works by selectively inhibiting the synthesis of microtubules via binding to the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin, thereby blocking polymerisation of tubulin dimers in intestinal cells of parasites.[17] Disruption of cytoplasmic microtubules leads to blocking the uptake of glucose and other nutrients, resulting in the gradual immobilization and eventual death of the helminths.[9]
Poor absorption in the digestive tract makes mebendazole an efficient drug for treating intestinal parasitic infections with limited adverse effects. However mebendazole has an impact on mammalian cells, mostly by inhibiting polymeration of
Society and culture
Availability
Mebendazole is available as a
Economics
In the United States, mebendazole is sometimes sold at about 200 times the price of the same medication in other countries.[21][22][23]
Research
Several studies show mebendazole exhibits potent antitumor properties. mebendazole significantly inhibited cancer cell growth, migration, and metastatic formation of adrenocortical carcinoma, both in vitro and in vivo.[24] Treatment of lung cancer cell lines with mebendazole caused mitotic arrest, followed by apoptotic cell death with the feature of caspase activation and cytochrome c release.[25] Mebendazole induced a dose- and time-dependent apoptotic response in human lung cancer cell lines,[26] and apoptosis via Bcl-2 inactivation in chemoresistant melanoma cells.[27] The anti-cancer effect of mebendazole comes from preclinical studies and case reports.[28]
References
- ISBN 9781420047448. Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Mebendazole Use During Pregnancy". Drugs.com. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Vermox Product information". Health Canada. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Mebendazole". Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mebendazole". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ISBN 9783540668299. Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2017.
- hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
- ^ ISBN 9781449624286. Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2017.
- ^ a b c Petri WA in Brunton LL, Chabner BA, Knollmann BC, Ed. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 12th ed., Chapter 42. McGraw-Hill, 2011 New York.
- ^ Martin AR in Wilson and Gisvold's Textbook of Organic Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 8th edition, Doerge RF, ed. J.B. Lippincott, 1982, Chapter 4
- ^ "Mebendazole". drugs.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ a b Finberg R, Fingeroth J in Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo, Ed. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2012, Chapter 217.
- S2CID 15585536.
- ^ "Drug Interactions". Medicine chest. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
- S2CID 41447486.
- PMID 12604501.
- PMID 15463312.
- PMID 28386621.
- from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Global Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Database, zenRx Research, archived from the original on 30 June 2015, retrieved 12 June 2014
- ^ "US drugmaker charges 200 times UK price for common worm pill". Financial Times. 18 December 2016.
- ^ "A Pinworm Medication Is Being Tested As A Potential Anti-Cancer Drug". NPR. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- PMID 1027113.
- S2CID 23045194.
- PMID 12479701.
- PMID 12231542.
- PMID 18667591.
- PMID 25075217.