Triclabendazole, sold under the brand name Egaten among others, is a medication used to treat
fascioliasis
Fasciolosis is a helminth, parasitic worm infection caused by the common liver fluke ''Fasciola hepatica'' as well as by ''Fasciola gigantica''. The disease is a plant-borne Trematoda, trematode zoonosis, and is classified as a Neglected tropic ...
and
paragonimiasis.
[ It is very effective for both conditions.][ Treatment in hospital may be required.][ It is taken by mouth with typically one or two doses being required.][ Biliary colic may occur due to dying worms.][ While no harm has been found with use during pregnancy, triclabendazole has not been studied well in this population.][ It is a member of the benzimidazole family of medications for worms.][
Triclabendazole was approved for medical use in the United States in 2019. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.]
Chemistry
It is a member of the benzimidazole family of anthelmintics. The benzimidazole drugs share a common molecular structure, triclabendazole being the exception in having a chlorinated benzene ring but no carbamate
In organic chemistry, a carbamate is a category of organic compounds with the general formula and structure , which are formally derived from carbamic acid (). The term includes organic compounds (e.g., the ester ethyl carbamate), formally o ...
group. Benzimidazoles such as triclabendazole are generally accepted to bind to beta-tubulin therefore preventing the polymerization of microtubules.
History
Since late 1990s, triclabendazole became available as a generic drug
A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...
, as patents expired in many countries. Many products were developed then. Among them, Trivantel 15, a 15% triclabendazole suspension, was launched by Agrovet Market Animal Health in the early 2000s. In 2009, the first triclabendazole injectable solution (combined with ivermectin) was developed and launched, also by Agrovet Market Animal Health. The product, Fasiject Plus, a triclabendazole 36% and ivermectin 0.6% solution, is designed to treat infections by '' Fasciola hepatica'' (both immature and adult liver flukes), roundworms and ectoparasites, as well.
Fasinex is a brandname for veterinary use while Egaten is a brandname for human use.
References
Further reading
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External links
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