WHO Prequalifies First-Ever Chewable Albendazole, Advancing Global Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases
In an achievement for global health, India-based Mepro Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. has received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for its generic chewable Albendazole 400 mg tablets, marking the first time this formulation has met the WHO’s rigorous standards. This pivotal milestone enhances the global supply of a critical medicine used to combat soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and lymphatic filariasis (LF), two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that afflict some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Albendazole is a vital anthelmintic medication, effectively treating infections caused by a range of parasitic worms. These infections primarily affect children in settings with less access to health services and with inadequate sanitation, and can lead to malnutrition, impaired cognitive development, and severe illness. Soil-transmitted helminths alone infect more than 1.5 billion¹ people worldwide, while lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, threatens nearly 900 million people across 44 countries². The introduction of the chewable Albendazole tablet offers an easier-to-administer option, particularly for young children, which will promote greater compliance with and effectiveness of mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns.
The WHO prequalification program is an important process that signifies that this product meets global standards for quality, safety, and efficacy necessary for global procurement agencies and countries to confidently purchase and distribute these medicines. This new formulation, alongside existing medicines, will be a significant tool in the fight against intestinal parasites.
Mepro Pharmaceuticals’ achievement in obtaining prequalification for chewable Albendazole was supported by USAID’s Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) program, implemented by U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP). USAID has long been committed to supporting the development and distribution of quality-assured medicines for neglected tropical diseases. Through its Neglected Tropical Diseases Program and the PQM+ program, USAID has helped expand access to life-changing treatments.
Learn more: https://www.usp.org/news/pqm-plus-celebrates-who-prequalification-of-malaria-and-ntd-medicines
[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/soil-transmitted-helminth-infections
[2] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lymphatic-filariasis