Fenbendazole is a medication that’s used to treat parasites and worms in animals. It’s also been found to have cancer-fighting properties.
A video by a veterinarian went viral on Facebook and TikTok featuring Joe Tippens, who claimed that taking a dog dewormer medicine, fenbendazole, cured his cancer.
The FDA tells PolitiFact that there’s no evidence fenbendazole cures cancer in humans. The drug hasn’t gone through clinical trials to prove that it’s safe or effective.
Safety
Fenbendazole (FZ) is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug used in veterinary medicine to treat ascarids, whipworms, hookworms and a single species of tapeworm. It was previously tested in scientific trials for its anticancer properties and found to be effective against some cancers. It has an excellent safety record as a veterinary medication and is well tolerated by humans for long periods of time.
Researchers at the National Centre for Human Genome Studies and Research, Panjab University have discovered that fenbendazole, which has moderate methylated-tumor-associated protein (MT) depolymerizing activity in cell cultures, may be a useful anticancer agent. This finding was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The team studied a cell line with MT-positive tumors, and exposed them to increasing concentrations of the drug over 2 h in hypoxic conditions. Cell viability was measured by using a colony formation assay. Results showed that the survival curves for cells treated under severe hypoxia had a steep drop at low doses of fenbendazole, followed by a plateau.
This is similar to the way mebendazole works. It was also observed that fenbendazole had significant effects on the proliferation of cancerous cells. These findings suggest that fenbendazole may be combined with other treatments, such as radiation, surgery, berberine and sodium dichloroacetate, to improve the efficacy of these therapies. However, the safety of combining these treatments needs further investigation.
Dosage
A veterinary drug that’s used to treat parasitic worms, fenbendazole is well-tolerated and has few side effects. It’s absorbed by the liver and excreted primarily through the feces, with very little being lost in urine. A dose of about 25 mg per day is typically used, though a physician may prescribe a higher or lower dosage based on the patient’s weight and other factors.
Studies have shown that fenbendazole can reduce cancer cell proliferation in laboratory tests (in vitro). In one study, researchers found that fenbendazole interacted with the formation of microtubules, a component of the protein scaffolding that gives cells their shape and structure. This interaction caused the cell to lose stability and undergo apoptosis.
Another study found that fenbendazole interfered with the cancer cell’s ability to take in glucose, which is necessary for the cancer cells’ growth and proliferation. This led to a decrease in cancer cells, both in the laboratory and in live mice that had been given cancerous tumours.
Tippens’ anecdotal account of his remission has been met with controversy, however. Tippens was enrolled in a clinical trial for a conventional cancer treatment while taking fenbendazole, so the effect can’t be directly attributed to his use of the medication alone. Plus, it wasn’t a randomized controlled trial, so his case isn’t representative of other people who might benefit from the medication.
Side Effects
Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic (also called a “wormer”) that has been used in animals for more than 30 years to treat gastrointestinal parasites such as Giardia, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and the tapeworm genus Taenia. It has also been reported to exhibit antitumor activity in animal cancer models.
In animal cancer experiments, fenbendazole has been found to interfere with the formation of microtubules, a protein scaffold that gives cells their structure and support. In one study, researchers administered 1 mg/mouse fenbendazole every other day for 12 days to mice implanted with human lung adenocarcinoma tumors. The results showed that the mice experienced a significant reduction in tumor size and weight.
These results were consistent with studies of other cell lines that demonstrated a cellular inhibitory effect of fenbendazole. In addition to its microtubule-depolymerizing activity, fenbendazole also inhibited the phosphorylation of p53 in human cancer cells and downregulated genes involved in multiple pathways that regulate cell growth and apoptosis.
Developing new drugs requires considerable time and resources. Repurposing veterinary drugs that show promising results for human use can help reduce these costs and can accelerate the process of getting a drug to market. Moreover, these repurposed compounds may benefit from additional pharmacological mechanisms of action not currently exploited in the development of new cancer drugs. Such multi-target drugs are more likely to be effective and evade the development of resistance.
Precautions
If you take the medication, follow your doctor’s instructions for dosage and use. Avoid taking it at the same time as other medicines or consuming alcohol or tobacco. It is also important to keep in mind that most medicines come with their own set of side effects that may be different for each person. If you experience any severe or unusual side effects, contact your doctor right away.
Fenbendazole is commonly used as an animal anthelmintic, and the drug has a track record of safety for use in humans. However, it has not been fully studied for long-term use in people. Despite this, many patients choose to take the drug on their own. While some have reported that fenbendazole has worked for them, it is important to always consult a medical professional before beginning treatment.
Moreover, you should never take expired medicine as it may no longer be effective. Expired medication can also lead to infection or other health complications. In addition, it is important to make sure that you have a supply of fresh medication on hand in case you are ever sick or injured.
Another interesting fact is that fenbendazole has been found to be effective in combating certain types of cancer. It has been shown to reactivate the p53 gene inside the genome of cancer cells, which helps suppress tumor development. These results have been published in multiple scientific journal papers. fenben for humans