Anthelmintics

Anthelmintics are active pharmaceutical ingredients designed to eliminate helminths, including nematodes, cestodes, and trematodes, through targeted disruption of their neuromuscular, metabolic, or structural systems. These APIs include benzimidazoles, macrocyclic lactones, nicotinic receptor agonists, and praziquantel-based compounds, each acting on specific molecular pathways that impair parasite survival. Their mechanisms involve inhibiting microtubule polymerization, blocking glucose uptake, inducing sustained neuromuscular paralysis, or altering calcium homeostasis within the parasite. Anthelmintics are essential for treating intestinal and systemic worm infections, improving nutritional outcomes, reducing parasite transmission, and preventing long-term organ damage. They are widely used in human and veterinary medicine and formulated as tablets, chewables, suspensions, and extended-release preparations. Due to rising anthelmintic resistance, ongoing research focuses on combination therapies, new molecular targets, and optimized dosing strategies. Anthelmintics remain a cornerstone of parasitic disease control and global public health.