Single dose treatment of intestinal nematodes with oxantel-pyrantel pamoate plus mebendazole

Abstract

The efficacy of oxantel-pyrantel pamoate plus mebendazole (Quantrel®, Pfizer) was evaluated in 112 patients with intestinal nematode infections (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Necator ammcanus). Oxantel-pyrantel was given as a single dose at 10 mg/kg of each combined with one 100 mg tablet of mebendazole. A 100% cure rate was obtained in the ascariasis infection as assessed by the absence of ova by the Beaver and the brine flotation techniques. The cure rate and egg reduction rates were 81% and 93·5% for trichuriasis and 66·7% and 85·7% for necatoriasis respectively.

The combination in a single dose of oxantel-pyrantel plus mebendazole was more effective than single-dose treatment with oxantel-pyrantel or a three-day course with either oxantel- pyrantel or mebendazole. No side effects were experienced with this treatment.