Fenbendazole (Fenb) is a benzimidazole carbamate drug used to treat a wide variety of gastrointestinal parasites such as giardia, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, the Taenia genus of tapeworms and pinworms. It also has broad spectrum anthelmintic activity against various livestock parasites such as nematodes, stomach flukes and tapeworms of sheep, goats and horses. Fenbendazole is also approved to be administered under veterinary to dogs, cats, rabbits and seals.
In addition to being able to kill parasites, fenbendazole appears to have powerful anti-tumor effects. In one scientific study, researchers found that fenbendazole stopped tumor growth in both unirradiated and irradiated mice by inhibiting the growth of cancerous cells. The fenbendazole molecule interfered with the cell cycle by binding to tubulin, which was essential for the growth and reproduction of cancerous cells. It interfered with the cell’s ability to take in glucose, which is a fuel for cancer cells, and caused them to starve. In addition, fenbendazole has been shown to activate the genome p53, a gene that prevents cancerous cell development.
However, there are no clinical trials that demonstrate fenbendazole can actually cure cancer in humans. Full Fact, a non-profit independent news site, explains that while the results of drugs tested in laboratory settings and animal models can look promising, we don’t know if they will work or be safe until they are tested in human trials. As a specialist cancer information nurse at Cancer Research UK points out, there is no proof that fenbendazole can cure cancer or prevent it from recurring because long-term exposure has not been studied. fenbendazole for humans