USA Clears Albendazole For Parasite Infections

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved SmithKline Beecham's Albenza (albendazole), the first approved medical treatment for two parasitic diseases, neurocysticercosis and hydatid disease. Around 300 US citizens are diagnosed with one of these diseases annually, usually after having acquired the infection abroad.

Neurocysticercosis is caused by pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) larvae and is considered the leading infectious cause of seizures worldwide. The disease is acquired when people consume tapeworm eggs, usually through contaminated food or water. These larvae can cause seizures and headaches when the disease involves brain tissue, but symptoms may not develop for five years or more. In patients with active cysts, albendazole has been found to be effective in 40%-70% of cases.

Cystic hydatid disease causes parasitic cysts in the liver, lungs, abdominal cavity, brain and/or bone. These cysts are slow to develop and may go undetected for years. Symptoms may be vague complaints of abdominal fullness or may be more acute, particularly if the cyst ruptures. The disease is generally acquired when people ingest dog tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosis) eggs through close contact with infected dogs. Albendazole has been found to eliminate hydatid cysts in approximately 30% of patients and reduces their size in an additional 40%.