Mebendazole

This article is about a pharmaceutical drug, for the automobile brand abbreviated as MBZ, see Mercedes-Benz

Mebendazole
Systematic (IUPAC) name
methyl [(5-benzoyl-3H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)amino]formate
Identifiers
CAS number	31431-39-7
ATC code	P02CA01
PubChem	7847434
DrugBank	APRD01086
Chemical data
Formula	C16H13N3O3
Mol. mass	295.293 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	?
Metabolism	Hepatic
Half life	2.5 to 5.5 hours
Excretion	?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.	Additional recommended knowledge Daily Visual Balance Check Safe Weighing Range Ensures Accurate Results Correct Test Weight Handling Guide: 12 Practical Tips ?
Legal status	?
Routes	Oral

Mebendazole or MBZ, marketed as Ovex, Vermox, Antiox or Pripsen, is a benzimidazole drug that is used to treat infestations by worms including pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms. The active ingredient in Pripsen powder is piperazine.

Mechanism

Mebendazole (C₁₆H₁₃N₃O₃) causes slow immobilization and death of the worms by selectively and irreversibly blocking uptake of glucose and other nutrients in susceptible adult intestine where helminths dwell. It is a spindle poison that induces chromosome nondisjunction.

Dosage

Oral dosage is 100 mg 12 hourly for 3 days, although sometimes the dosage is just one 500 mg dose, followed by another dose two weeks later if the infection has not cleared up. The dosage may differ depending on which type of worm someone is infected with.

See also

• Albendazole
• Janssen Pharmaceutica