-5%
AH is a benzimidazole-type anthelmintic effective against most nematodes and certain cestodes. It is prescribed for intestinal nematode infections and, in higher doses, for hydatid disease. AH has vermicidal, ovicidal, and larvicidal properties. Its main action is to inhibit tubulin polymerization, disrupting cytoplasmic microtubules in parasites.
Albendazole is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic that kills worms and their eggs/larvae by blocking glucose uptake in susceptible helminths, leading to energy depletion and death. It binds to tubulin in parasites, preventing microtubule formation, and also binds to human tubulin. Albendazole is poorly absorbed from the GI tract but undergoes rapid first-pass metabolism in the liver, forming albendazole sulphoxide (active metabolite) with a plasma half-life of ~8.5 hours. Excretion is mainly via urine.
Effective in single or mixed infestations of:
- Hookworm (Ancylostoma, Necator)
- Roundworm (Ascaris)
- Threadworm (Enterobius)
- Whipworm (Trichuris)
- Strongyloides
- Tapeworm
- Opisthorchis
- Hydatid disease (Echinococcus)