Promising Drug Combination Treatment Against Parasitic Worm Infections

In a Phase III clinical trial, researchers at Swiss TPH have successfully gathered encouraging data to demonstrate higher efficacy of co-administration of ivermectin-albendazole in combating soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The findings were published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal. Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) affect one in five people in the world causing numerous health problems, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood and protein loss and both physical and cognitive growth retardation. According to WHO, over 260 million preschool-age children and over 560 million school-age children are at risk and it is highly prevalent in impoverished, rural areas with poor sanitation and inadequate access to safe water. STH infections are caused by the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides , two hookworm species and the whipworm Trichuris trichiura . Only very few drugs are registered for treatment and control of STH infections in humans, all of which have limitations. To date, periodic mass administration of benzimidazoles is done within preventive chemotherapy schemes.