Posted: June 21, 2018
Johnson & Johnson chewable mebendazole available soon for intestinal worm infections in young children
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that it will soon have available a chewable formulation of Vermox™ (mebendazole). The new child-friendly drug formulation, developed and produced by Johnson & Johnson, will be donated to national ministries of health for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) in preschool-age children (1-4 years old). This will be the first time that ministries of health can obtain donated drugs for control of STH in preschool age children (PSAC). This new donation will complement Johnson & Johnson’s current donation of solid formulation mebendazole for school-age children (5-14 years old).
Over 257 million preschool-age children live in countries requiring preventive chemotherapy for soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) commonly known as intestinal worms.