K. Yasukawa
May 15, 2014
Citations
2
Influential Citations
30
Citations
Journal
The New England journal of medicine
Abstract
To the Editor: Speich et al. (Feb. 13 issue)1 report that treatment with oxantel pamoate–albendazole was significantly more efficacious against Trichuris trichiura than a single dose of albendazole or mebendazole. The 2-day regimen used in the study has considerable logistical implications in large-scale chemotherapy programs, and it remains unclear whether oxantel pamoate–albendazole administered as a single dose can achieve similar efficacy. In a study of the activity of oxantel pamoate against T. muris in mice, Keiser and colleagues found that oxantel pamoate–albendazole administered in a single-dose regimen had an antagonistic effect.2 Although a single dose of albendazole and mebendazole, as compared with oxantel pamoate–albendazole, is associated with lower cure rates for T. trichiura infection, studies of albendazole combined with mebendazole and multiple-dose regimens have shown similar results against T. trichiura and perhaps better outcomes in patients with hookworm infection.3-6 At this point, the benefit of a 2-day regimen with oxantel pamoate–albendazole over these regimens remains unclear. Kosuke Yasukawa, M.D.